The Inmates Run the Asylum
by Mable
Summary: 6 is thrown back into Wonderland yet again, but this time is joined by 9 and 8 who are in awe of the new world before them. However, Wonderland is in turmoil once again and 6's newest journey will take him down the Rabbit Hole, across Looking Glass land, and deeper into the madness than ever before. Sequel to 'Sanest in the Asylum'.
1. Through the Cracks of a Looking Glass

**Mable: After what feels like forever, 6 finally returns to Wonderland! I am thrilled to write this sequel- Beyond thrilled- and I… I'm just going to skip the sentimentalities and continue on with the story at hand. I'm so very excited to present this!... I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter One: Through the Cracks of a Looking Glass_

Things had changed since Six had returned from his Wonderland. Not too drastically, but Six himself felt like a new Stitchpunk. Suddenly he was more willing to go on scouting missions, more willing to help the others work, and was drawing more expansive and whimsical pictures. For a few weeks after this event he would reweave the tales of Wonderland for the others to listen to and, for the most part, they were very supportive. Six wasn't sure if they all really believed that Wonderland was real or not, but he enjoyed how well they listened regardless. Even One was curious about his Wonderland self.

Other things had gotten better. Six had a few less nightmares and even Eight's bullying seemed to back off a bit. Not that the Guard still didn't find moments to tease him, but Six found that they were more innocent than anything, to rile him and not to hurt him. Six wasn't sure what changed Eight as it wasn't like he saw Wonderland, but he hoped maybe that it was from hearing about how close Six had been with the Knave of Hearts, Eight's Wonderland counterpart. Even though Eight frequently had a habit of teasing Six that Wonderland was not real and that it had just been a dream.

Six sort of expected that eventually he would return to the magical place and when he didn't he actually grew a bit discouraged. Things were still going well, but Wonderland eventually came back to mind, more so once the buzz about it died down and the Stitchpunks returned to their normal behavior once more. He began to think about Wonderland much more and suddenly was beginning to try and engage the others in conversations about it. Unfortunately this had finally backfired in one disastrous event that had just cooled down only a few short minutes beforehand.

Eight had overheard Six trying to tell the twins more about Wonderland, about the Tweedles in fact, and decided to come in with his teasing once more. He began again with Wonderland not being real and made a bit of a game out of it. Unfortunately for him, and for Six himself, the Artist had been becoming distressed because of the fact that he could no longer prove Wonderland was real. He never really could and now that he was missing the land and couldn't go back he became defensive. All it took was a little too much prodding and suddenly Six exploded.

The striped male didn't remember much of the incident because it had been a blur. All he remembered was practically screaming at Eight in front of everyone, the Guard staring in surprise, and finally storming out in a huff. Yet now as the male sat outside in the courtyard he felt awful about it. He looked terrible, he felt terrible, and he just wanted to hide from the others forever. He clutched his key and hung his head in shame at his actions. He was supposedly the one who saved Wonderland and yet he had lost control like that. He wasn't even sure if he could say that he saved Wonderland anymore anyway.

" _I… I can't go on like this."_ He insisted firmly, _"It wasn't a dream! Wonderland was- is real! I know it!... I know it…"_ A sad look overtook his face as he stared at the stones lining the courtyard. " _But… But how do I get there? If I brought something back I could prove it, but not unless I get there, and I don't even know how to get there anymore. I've checked… Over and over, the Rabbit Hole's not there anymore."_ He was starting to lose faith and yet didn't know what to do. He slowly stood to his feet and looked around the vicinity of the courtyard hesitantly. He needed to find a way back.

"Six?" Six's head snapped upwards abruptly and his body tensed. He recognized the voice of Nine from anywhere and slowly looked back over his shoulder, seeing the zippered male standing behind him some ways. The Stitchpunk approached further with concern on his face. He had witnessed the incident earlier and had come to make sure that Six was alright. The striped male was glad that he did and smiled a little. "Hello…" Nine approached with the concern still on his face, "Are you okay?" Six nodded slowly, hesitantly, before adding in, "I'm going to find Wonderland."

Nine looked surprised at the comment and before he could say anything Six added in, "I know you don't believe me, but come with me! I'll show you, please! I'm not crazy!" He grasped ahold of Nine's hand. He didn't know why he was so willing to ask another to come, but Nine seemed the most willing. Five too, if he was there, but he was also more hesitant. Nine was known to do things spur of a moment so Six assumed he would be the best candidate. He simply waited for an answer and the zippered male seemed to pause to mentally war with himself about what to do.

"…Alright." Nine finally caved and Six alit. Nine wasn't certain if Wonderland could exist, but if Six wanted to look for it, even if it was a dream, then Nine would assist him in any way possible. Six smiled wide before leaping forward and hugging onto him tightly. "Thank you…" He whispered to the other male, truly relieved that he just got this much. He then pulled back with the same smile stretched across his face. "It shouldn't be far. It wasn't far last time." With that they began to look. Six clamped a hand onto Nine's and began to guide him around the area outside of the courtyard eagerly.

Nine actually found that it was sort of enjoyable. It was almost like they were playing a game of pretend, as he occasionally did with the twins when they were bored, and it was even better since Six suddenly began remembering details of Wonderland that he had seemed to forgotten. "But I never liked the Boojums." He explained hesitantly to the zippered male, "They scared me." The striped one gave a small shiver and Nine looked curious, "Those were the things that were made out of oil, right? The black things that changed shape?" Six nodded slowly, "I think oil. Couldn't have been ink. Too thick."

Suddenly he paused and clutched his key before looking around. "I… I feel like we should go this way." He led further from the Library and towards a tipped over streetlight nearby. Nine noticed they were getting further away from the Library, but because he had his own light source, the newly remade Lightstaff, he didn't say anything and continued going. Six seemed to suddenly see something in the distance and started to pick up speed, "Hurry! Over there!" Nine didn't notice what he saw and the Artist continued to rush along before abruptly stopping at something laying on the ground.

The frame was jutting out of the dirt while whatever it surrounded was covered by a light layer of the dust. Nine crouched down as Six hopped onto it, kneeling down and beginning to wipe away until he saw his own face looking back at him. "It's a mirror…" Six murmured softly and Nine raised a brow, "Think it's covering the Rabbit Hole?" The striped one shrugged and leaned down, listening against the glass. "I… I don't know… But I hear something." Nine straightened as he did too, but immediately from straightening he realized that the sound was coming from behind him instead of from or from under the mirror.

"Six, it's coming from…" He turned around and peered back towards the Library with his Lightstaff raised. Or he did until suddenly Eight appeared and stepped into view. The large male looked just as confused as Nine did while Six only glanced upwards for a second before looking down at the mirror in shame. "Eight?" Nine asked the larger, lowering his staff again, "You followed us?" The Guard was quick to correct, "One sent me out looking for _him._ What're you doing all the way over here?" The way he said 'him' was laced with resentment and Six realized that he was still upset from the fight.

More than likely Six had ruined what little relationship they had in that one attack, but it wasn't like he could take it back now. Nine was firm, "We're looking around to see if we can find Wonderland." He announced with no shame and no fear. Even Six, who knew that Wonderland was real, would be embarrassed to admit it to the others after what happened today. Eight raised a brow before muttering, "You're kidding, right?" He got an amused smile before chuckling, "You can't be serious." Nine's gaze narrowed, "I am serious, so would you stop? You already humiliated Six earlier with your teasing."

"I humiliated Six? Six humiliated himself." Eight defended himself, slightly annoyed at Nine's accusing. Six quickly stood to say something and break them apart, only to feel a shift in his footing. He blinked in confusion and wondered if he was getting vertigo, which he did occasionally get at times, but then he realized that his feet were sinking. It was like he was standing on something like gel, as though a soft piece of plastic or some sort of jelly. He slowly looked down and realized that his feet were sinking into the mirror.

"Nine…" He spoke softly while Nine was halfway through a sentence, "If you weren't poking at him all the time then he wouldn't have been upset. You know how important Wonderland is to him." He then turned to look back towards Nine, almost giving an annoyed, "Yes, Six?" It was a huffing noise but was spurred by annoyance from Eight, not Six, until his optics dropped down. He stared before blinking for a second, "Six…" Six felt his mouth go to a firm line of dread, his stitched brows tilted in fear, and he noticed that he saw slowly continuing to sink down. He was sinking a bit faster now.

"Six?!" Nine cried out in horror and alarm. He stumbled forward and grabbed for Six, and as the Artist reached forward the movement caused him to almost plummet. Both of his pen tipped hands grabbed onto the burlap male's hand as the mirror sunk far enough that he was hip deep in it, it clinging to his body and sucking at him. Nine stared in horror before looking back, "Eight, help me!" He cried, trying to keep his footing on the mirror, but oddly enough where Nine stood it was still glass and he couldn't get a good footing on it.

Eight paused only because he was in disbelief and stared at the scene. "Nine!" Six called out as he sunk to his shoulders in the reflective material. One of his hands released to scrape at the mirror. "No, Six, don't let go!" Nine corrected quickly and Eight bounded over as well grabbing onto the Lightstaff to pull Nine back in case he grew stuck as well. Six's free hand scratched at the gooey glass before tearing through. Six looked down in surprise before watching as the hole tore wider, and suddenly Nine's hand couldn't hold him. His reflection disappeared as the black hole opened and he dropped inside.

Nine watched in terror as the striped male vanished and Eight actually cried out, "Six!" As though he was afraid for the younger, but their ordeal hadn't ended. Suddenly the gooey mixture tore until it arrived it into the hard mirror, but then began to crack underneath their feet. Nine turned around and leapt towards Eight, "Move! Quick!" But before they could get out of the way they began to plummet into the crater beneath the mirror. Six was already falling in the darkness and stared with wide optics, but surprisingly something else hit him, some sort of familiar feeling like he had been here.

Then he plummeted to where candles lit the walls surrounding him and various floating furniture followed, along with a few cracked mirrors. He suddenly realized that this was the Rabbit Hole and his smile suddenly appeared with a weak laughter of relief. His pulse still pounded and he wondered if he would survive the fall a second time, if there was a way to not survive the fall or if it wasn't possible. _"But why was the Rabbit Hole under the mirror? Why did the mirror stretch like that?... I suppose I'll reach the bottom soon."_ He could see a cabinet pass covered in bottles of black liquid.

" _Was that ink? Maybe I can get some later and use it to draw for everyone."_ He mentally noted before looking upwards, downwards for him, and gasped in surprise. There, high above, was Nine and Eight falling towards him. _"They came too?... They came too! They'll finally see-_ Oomph!" He let out a soft noise as he suddenly landed on something soft and thick that immediately released a small puff of dust when he landed upon it. He straightened a bit and looked down only so see that he was landing on a floating bed with a patched quilt of pale pink and a brass bedframe.

He still felt the wind knocked out of him and waited for a second before Nine, screaming in terror, fell past him. The Artist leaned over and stared downwards, now noticing that the water pool wasn't too far below. Nine landed into it, cutting off his cry with a loud splash. " _I hope he's okay…"_ Six dared to call down with, "Nine?" Though followed by looking upwards and noticed Eight still falling, somehow a little further back. Six wasn't sure how this happened but could only scramble out of the way and dive off of the bed as Eight promptly took his place and landed on it.

The floating bed didn't seem like it could hold Eight's weight and somehow fell out of place, plummeting as well. Six landed right into the pool where Nine had managed to already climb out while Eight landed on the water nearby. Even though the splash sent water everywhere the bed somehow kept buoyancy beyond logic, keeping Eight on the top of the water, the Guard staring upwards with wide optics. Six started to paddle towards the edge of the pool and Nine hurried over, sticking the opposite side of the bulb of his Lightstaff out.

Six grabbed onto it and managed to inch closer before taking Nine's offered hand and being pulled out of the water. "Are you okay?" Nine asked quickly and Six looked around before beaming, "We… Did it…" He grabbed Nine's shoulder's abruptly, "Nine, we're here! This is it! This is the entrance to Wonderland!" He splayed one hand out to point and gesture around and the zippered male followed, realization hitting him and his mouth dropping open. The long fall, the pool at the bottom, the curtained hallway; everything Six had explained.

"It's real…" He gasped and walked towards the hall, looking around and taking in everything he could, "It's all real… Wonderland…" Six suddenly corrected, "Well, not yet, not really." He beamed wide, "We'll have to go through the door to get into Wonderland really." He then looked over towards the glass table nearby and noticed something on it, heading over. Nine stared in awe until Eight spoke, "Nine…" He began slowly, "Get me off of this bed…" Nine wasn't sure that if he was still in shock or if he was afraid of sinking in the water, but he shook himself free and rushed over quickly.

Nine did the same thing as with Six, holding out his Lightstaff so that Eight could pull himself, and the bed, to the side of the pool. He then climbed off shakily to stand on the marble floor before slowly looking upwards, "How is the...? What was going on up there with the mirror?!" He asked the shorter who was just as surprised, "I don't even know anymore… But this means that Six was right!" He cried out in realization that finally hit, "The other versions of us, the adventure, the everything! Everything was real!" It's so reeling and Eight rubbed his forehead, "Creator, this…"

"Yeah." Nine began, "You owe Six an apology." Eight furrowed his brows, "This isn't really the time, Nine. We just fell hundreds of feet through floating furniture and somehow lived." He gestured upwards to the opening in the roof, but Nine was firm, "Yes, this is the time! We… We didn't believe him, and that was wrong, but we kept an open mind and you just teased him." He decided to stay calm and looked around in amazement. "Besides… We're going to need Six as a Leader." Eight exhaled quietly before following after Six, giving in and deciding to hurry and do this.

Six approached the table and was surprised to see four items on it. A small key, a box, a bottle, and a slip of paper with a note laying on it. He lifted it and read what was quickly scribbled upon it with a smile which quickly dropped. _"My Dear Six, I am leaving this letter for when you return to Wonderland, which I know you will in the near future. It is a long story, but there is a new threat to Wonderland. Please come to the Hearts Castle as soon as you can. I have left both a shrinking tea and growth biscuits for you to use, but the door to the castle gardens no longer functions. Just use your feelings, I know you'll find your way. I'll see you soon, Two."_

Six stared in confusion and upset at the letter. There were so many questions racing through his mind, but at the end of all of them remained a simple lack of knowing what he was going to do now. He felt just as lost as the first time he had gotten here. "Look, Six…" Eight began only for Six to turn towards him. "Something's wrong…" He frowned sadly, clutching the letter, "It's… It's from the White Rabbit, Two, he says there's a new threat in Wonderland." Nine now came to the front beside Six, "What is it?" Six shrugged a bit, "He just said to go to the castle."

"Hold on, wait." Eight suddenly interrupted the conversation, "Let's take this a step back. Nobody's going anywhere." Six tilted his head and Eight continued, "We need to get back up that hole and tell One what's going on before we even think about going off." Nine immediately disagreed, "But Eight, we can't just go back! What if- What if the hole closes up?! We need to see Wonderland while we can." Naturally Nine's curiosity was making him want to see the magical world and he crossed over to the table to look over what was remaining there. Six felt a bit of giddiness as he pointed out matter-of-factly to Eight.

"Actually, Eight, the only one who could help us up the Rabbit Hole would be Two… But he's at the castle." He smiled a little as though being friendly, but Eight swore he caught a cheekiness there as well, as though Six was thrilled in telling him that they couldn't go back. Eight stared after him before grumbling while Nine looked at the bottle and box. "So this will change our size?" Six nodded eagerly, "The drink makes us smaller, the biscuits makes us bigger." Nine opened the box to see only to become confused. "Uh, Six, it's empty."

Six stared in surprise before taking the box in confusion, "But… But Two said he left some! There's nothing in here but… But crumbs!" The crumbs didn't even look big enough to make them any bigger on their own. Six set it back down and lifted the bottle of shrinking tea and looked at it. There was enough for all three of them. "Wait, didn't you shrink the first time you came here? To get through the door?" Six nodded and Nine continued, "So we won't need the biscuits anyway." Six smiled with his confidence returning and Eight murmured, "So… We're shrinking?"

"That's the plan." Nine smiled eagerly and Six pointed to the table. "Don't forget the key! I made that mistake." Eight did the honors and reached to take it, looking at the gold finish on it in his much larger hand. "You sure about this?" He simply asked as though to himself and Six answered, "Eight, it's okay, you don't have to be worried." Before he could say anymore Eight interrupted, "I'm not worried about nothing. Except One figure out what happened and blowing his top because we never told him." Six continued as he dug a finger into the cork on the 'drink me' bottle.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll appear back home without much time passing. Maybe time will pass a bunch." He decided to be playfully cryptic and cracked a smile. "Only drink a sip of this stuff. It works well. Too well." He tilted it back and let the cool and bubbly liquid spill into his mouth. He quickly handed the bottle to Nine as the world shifted, then closed his mismatched optics tightly to stave off the strange sensation that he would feel as he began to shrink. Eight and Nine simply watched in awe as he began to grow smaller and smaller before their very optics.

"It's not too bad really." Six spoke as he began to shrink, "If you close your optics you don't feel strange while it happens." He felt the movements stop and opened his optics to realize that he was small, looking upwards at Eight and Nine towering above him. "It doesn't hurt!" He insisted and Eight crouched down, "That's insane… You got small enough that a human, that if I was a human you'd be Stitchpunk sized." His awe mangled his words and he continued with, "You know what I mean." Six smiled sheepishly and Nine smelled the liquid and grew more curious.

"I guess I'm next. How does it taste?" He quizzed and Six blinked, "Kind of like a tart… But kind of not like a tart." It was hard to explain it and Nine took a sip like Six did before handing it to Eight, then promptly shrunk. He clung to his Lightstaff which surprisingly shrunk with him and soon was beside Six who was smiling eagerly. They then looked to Eight who reluctantly took a swig of the bottle before setting it on the table. He began to shrink as well, bracing himself until he was standing alongside them. Six immediately started to lead them to the door from before.

"I didn't actually know there was a door to the Red Kingdom… You know that, I already told the story." Six continued, smiling, and Nine looked concerned, "I guess they closed it from the threat… But wait a minute, I'm a little confused. Wouldn't only Stitchpunks from down the Rabbit Hole have access to the door?" Eight corrected him, "One's the King, he doesn't take chances. Look, we have a problem here." Six pulled back the curtain to reveal the door before looking to Eight, "A problem?" Eight eyed the keyhole before insisting, "Definitely got a problem. The key shrunk."

He showed the two the key that, in comparison to his hand, was the same size as before. Which meant that it had shrunk incredibly. "It shrunk?!" Six sputtered before exhaling, "I'll… I'll just use my key I guess." He pulled it off to do so and Eight murmured out, "Yeah, this trip is starting out great." Nine looked slightly exasperated and wanted to say something until the door unlocked and Six pulled it open. The Artist couldn't help but smile wide as he saw the world outside. There was no sign of any threat; the beautiful greenery of the meadow awaited him instead.

Nine stepped through first and looked around in absolute wonder, Eight followed and his previous sternness lessened as he saw the enchanted surroundings, and Six closed the door behind them after freeing his key. "This is it." He quietly explained to them, "This is the Wonderland that I remember." The meadow was even lovelier than last time. The flowers seemed to have grown higher than last time, but thankfully they weren't whispering or talking. An actual living butterfly fluttered above and Six gasped, "Oh, look at that! That wasn't here last time!"

He eagerly hurried after it and watched as it hovered above a flower high above. Nine looked at it as well. The only time he had seen one was a preserved one that the twins had. It was framed like a picture and clearly deceased, but this one was living, and Nine had to see it closer. He brought hit staff down to stick it in the dirt, but unlike the Emptiness the ground wasn't as gravelling or loose. The second he let go it fell back, forcing Eight to catch it, but ignored it to pluck a lower flower and raised it up in the air. He and Six both watched in delight as the butterfly landed on it and was lowered.

It's dainty tan wings were smeared with a yellowish liquid while its body was a brown color. The most odd was its head. It turned and looked towards Six when he moved closer, allowing the Artist to see its completely white head, its eyes like large crystals of white. "It's… It's beautiful." Six murmured and Nine smiled wide, "This is more than beautiful, it's alive! If we have to take something back we should take one of these. Maybe they can make more." He explained in delight, "I'm not sure how Butterflies have young, but think about it; we could have these everywhere! Nothing would threaten them, I doubt the Beast would hunt them!"

Eight huffed and crossed his arms, "Come on, we need to move on." Six looked over desperately, "We'll get there. Here, look at the Butterfly!" Eight seemed strangely reluctant. In fact, he seemed to be watching the ground a lot, as though he couldn't look at the world. In a way Eight was having trouble taking this all in, it was just too much all at once and he felt like it was all crashing in. Wonderland wasn't supposed to be more than Six's fantasy and now that it was everything was just too confusing, he didn't know how to react to all of it. "I see it, but it won't be happy being brought back."

"What?" Six asked quietly and Nine bit his lip, "I… I guess not… If we could plant flowers, maybe, but not like it is." Six looked a little surprised at Nine's remark and felt disturbed. He looked to him before smiling a bit and assuring, "But we could grow flowers and then they would come. This time… This time I'm finding a way to go back and forth. Then we can bring everyone here!" Now Nine smiled back, "That would be great. I think Five would've loved to be here, I know the twins would've definitely wanted to come!" Suddenly the arrangement seemed cheerful again and Nine set the flower on the ground.

"Here you go, little guy." He enticed the Bread-and-Butterfly before straightening and taking the Lightstaff from Eight. "Hey," He began in some concern, "Are you okay?" Eight looked to him and hesitated on whether to say he was or not, keeping his normal front of strength, but giving in and admitting, "I'm a little shaken still. That fall was rough." Before Nine could speak, Six dared to interrupt them, feeling his confidence bloom once more, "We'll be able to rest once we get to the castle, but we have to hurry! The Red King will have our heads if we're late!" He playfully quipped.

He then beckoned the two and started down the path with a new life in his core and a smile on his face. It would've been perfect if he didn't have a nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong. After all, Wonderland never was a place to be this empty.

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 **Mable: 6 has stepped back into, or fallen back into, Wonderland yet again!... And he has no idea exactly what he has fallen into… But that's part of the fun, discovery something new, something strange and wonderful, or perhaps terrible if one dwells on it too long. The next chapter shall be posted very, very soon! Keep an eye out and I hope you enjoyed!  
It's so great to be back down the Rabbit Hole!**


	2. Through the Woods

**Mable: Here we are with chapter two! Ah, feels so good to be writing Wonderland again… Wait… I think I may have said that already. XD But it is true! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Two: Through the Woods_

It wasn't too long down the path that Six, Nine, and Eight came to what was nearly a wall of trees that blocked the road and all surrounding area. "These are the woods." Six pointed out, "I was in them for a little while, but not the deep part. I'm pretty sure they still lead to the Hearts Kingdom." Actually, Six didn't know this at all, but he suspected that this was the case. The entrance into the woods was merely a thin gap in the trees where they could slip through, squeeze in Eight's case. Nine led the way and turned on his Lightstaff to poke inside first, lighting the immediate area.

"I'm sort of glad I brought this… But I'm still confused at how it didn't break on the way down. The water didn't even short circuit it." He spoke to the others as he stepped inside, still new to the lack of logic. The trees were almost impossible to see and those that were stayed dark and clung together thickly, blocking any light at all. Six followed him quietly and massaged his key in his hands, "This… This isn't the part of the woods I was in." Eight caught the words and called out from outside, resting his hands on the two trees that seemed to make an arch to enter into. "Then why are we even doing this?"

"Hold on." Nine interrupted the two with a hand signal and both fell quiet, Eight still leaning in and raising a brow while Six looked to him desperately. Six had been to Wonderland and loved Wonderland, but knew better than to trust Wonderland fully. Nine noticed a sign hanging from the branch of a nearby tree and laying against its bark. He raised his Lightstaff and read over it, "Welcome to one of the many Tulgey Woods." Eight listened as he squeezed through the trees, wandering over behind him, "One of the many?"

"There must be more than one Wood." Six quipped and Eight looked to him like he was insane, "Makes sense that far, but why did they name all of their woods the same thing?" Six paused before quietly asking, "It was easier?" They looked to Nine who continued longer, "Keep to the path. Don't step on the Mome Raths." He blinked a bit and looked back, "What's a Mome Rath?" Six shrugged and Nine aimed the light ahead at a dull path. "Well, let's go… I guess." The three began to start down the path, Six leading the way until he noticed Eight wasn't coming.

"Eight?" He started quietly, "Don't fall behind… You could get lost." Eight was staring behind them and slowly looked forward before muttering, "It closed." Nine caught on quicker than Six and strode over to where the entrance was, sticking his light forward and being rewarded by an overly thick tree. "How could it-? Are you sure it was right here? Maybe you were confused." Eight gave him an unimpressed look, "I only turned around. Where would I get confused?" Six jumped as he heard a scuttling nearby and spun around to stare into the darkness.

"This _is_ Wonderland. Maybe the trees move." Nine started before sputtering, "And the sign?!" Eight looked over as well and as he stated the sign was missing now. "And Six?!" He continued and Eight snorted, "Relax. I'm keeping an eye on him." Nine started to get a small smile and Eight murmured, "What's that look?" Nearby Six noticed a colored light behind some foliage and knelt down to move some large leaves away, revealing a hole in the side of a tree. The beings inside were odd creatures that looked almost like beetles huddled together.

Small patches of colorful fur covered their backs and a dull glow from underneath made the fur look alight, matching their glowing eyes. What most amazed Six, however, was the colors of the glowing. A few were purple, a few more were blue, there were two red and two green ones, and a pink one. There were small ones as well, but they were all a whitish yellow, as though they hadn't grown colors. "Hello there." Six smiled and crouched down to see them, "Are you the Mome Raths?" They seemed to huddle back further and Six was confused, "What are you hiding from?"

A few seconds passed before Six heard more movements and pulled back, looking upwards at the branches. "…Hello?" There was a low purr in the air and he could see a figure appearing on a thick branch nearby, along with a sharp toothed smile that soon became partially hidden under a helmet and such, and Six gasped. "Cat." He breathily spoke and smiled before pausing when he noticed a twitching in the being's long, lanky body. His smile began to drop slowly until he found horror crossing when the Cheshire Cat's optics took a red glow. The male's cat eyes were staring down towards Nine before he pounced.

"Cat!" Six cried out in alarm and the other Stitchpunks looked over for a second before the Cheshire Cat landed atop of Nine's frame. The male fell back, his Lightstaff across his chest, and tried to use it to hold the male off. Cat's claws were held back by the staff and he released a metallic growl down at the zippered male, a hiss lacing it. This wasn't the Cat that Six remembered and he cried out in horror, grasping at his yarn, while Nine stared upwards at the Stitchpunk-like Beast. Eight rushed forward and knocked the male off with his shoulder before reaching back for his knife.

The Cheshire Cat fell off and crashed to the dirt ground beside the path before suddenly vanishing. Eight looked around, scanning the trees and trying to see if the Cat would appear. "That was the Cheshire Cat?!" Nine cried out, stumbling to his feet, "Six, you didn't say he was a _Cat Beast!"_ Six shook his head, "No, no! This is wrong! Cat's not like this!" He cried out, trying to defend the male until he felt something strike his back and fell to the ground. Cat had pounced from behind. Oddly, though, Six suddenly felt the weight disappear as the male jumped over him towards Eight.

He brought a claw forward and Eight aimed his knife upwards to catch it, a loud clang echoing as metal landed upon metal and the Guard grunting at the weight. Cat released a rattle of a growl before suddenly flinching back as the Lightstaff's bulb was forced into his face. He flinched and vanished yet again. Nine panted lightly and looked to Six who started to stand, looking around fearfully. "Get behind me!" He looked to Eight and Nine questioned, "Which of us?" Eight didn't even dare look away from scanning the trees. "Both of you, now!"

The two did so, but the second that Six got behind him, resting a hand on Eight's back, he noticed Cat running out of the woods. "There! He's there!" Eight spun around and swung over Six and Nine's heads, the two ducking down, and there was a cracking noise. Cat was stopped, standing there, and Six raised his head slowly. "Cat?" The Cheshire Cat didn't move, his optics losing their redness. "…Cat?" Then, suddenly, his head toppled off and his body collapsed. Six stared for a few seconds before practically screaming in horror.

Eight was shocked as well, but shook the short, "Hey, there might be others nearby." Nine pushed Eight's hand away, "Eight." He started before looking to Six, "Are you okay?" Six shook his head pitifully and Eight exhaled, "I'm sorry I hurt your friend, Six, but he was asking for it." There was agreement, "Yes, I really was." Six flinched as he recognized the voice and Eight looked past Six in alarm while Nine cried out. Six spun to see and was partially horrified, somewhat relieved.

Cat's decapitated body stood while his head smiled for its position on the ground. "What is going on now?!" Eight cried out and lifted his knife while Six rushed forward and kneeled before him. "Cat, you're-!... Talking even though your head is removed." He continued in complete confusion while glancing to Cat's stumbling body. "Sorry about all that. Lost my head for a while, but I'm not the only one. It's the strangest thing when your body is not under your control, isn't it?" Nine seemed to catch that the threat was over and, strangely enough, attempted to coax the body.

"It's, ah, over there." He gave a shove and Cat started to swagger over with a smile, "Thanks for that. By the way…" He stopped beside said head, "Can you stand on your head?" Six chuckled a little awkwardly, "I guess you can… But could you put your head on first?" Nine raised his bows abruptly, "You can put your head back on?" Cat was confident, his body kneeling and him pressing a claw to his head. They both vanished before reappearing on the branch of one of the trees, stretched out on it with his back against the bark and his legs crossed.

His head was back on and he rubbed his neck sorely, "You, my friend, have got a swing on you!" He pointed out before looking over and double taking, Six standing as Cat swung his legs over and leaned closer, "Wait a second..." He raised his helmet, flashing curious optics and a wide smile, "You're not… I'll be stricken with saneness! You're not the March Hare and the Guard of Hearts! Explains things, I thought it was weird that you two were running around in the nude." He smirked and Nine looked down to himself while Eight still seemed skeptical about the male being safe.

"Why'd you attack us if you're friendly with Six?" Eight asked in an accusing tone as he stepped forward beside Six, somewhat getting in front of him. "No control here. Can't even remember it." Cat insisted, "Hey, if I was in my right mind then you'd be ribbons." He ended the sentence much quieter and with a snarky smile punctuating it. Eight made almost a scoff and put his knife away, "You say that now when you just put your head back on." Cat rubbed his neck with his claws, "Indeed I did. Touché on that one." Six beamed and gestured to Eight, "This is Eight, he's our Guard." Then to Nine, "And this is Nine, our guide."

"Six, you're more of a guide than I am." Nine insisted, "But… If you're a friend, Mister… Cat?" Cat purred a little, "Cheshire Cat, some call me Chess, friends call me Cat. You can chose which one." Nine smiled a little, "Alright, Cat." It felt awkward talking to a Stitchpunk version of the Cat Beast, but he handled it as well as he could, "We're trying to get to the Red Castle, but we're sort of lost in these woods. Can you help?" Cat hesitated before pointing out, "I could help, but it's awfully dangerous. Who knows when I'll turn back again."

Nine hesitated before Six spoke, the zippered male looked over in surprise at the Artist's decision making. Never did Six dare to make a decision for the group before they headed to Wonderland, but now he took charge and insisted. "That's a risk we have to take. Please, take us somewhere." He pleaded before Eight quipped in, "Somewhere out of the woods. All of them." The feline male paused before scratching at his chest, soon followed by an exhale, his smile wavering, "I don't get involved with things like these. This is why I came here in the first place…. I think."

He hopped down from the tree and landed heavily on the ground. "I'll take you over to the middle of the forest, the mushroom patch. There's an aged man there who will be able to help." He beckoned the three and started along, leading them along and approaching towards a large tree nearby. He brought his arm back before thrusting it forward and digging his claws into the bark before twisting them and pulling it open like a door. Inside of the tree was a very thin staircase that circled around and led down into the tree. Unfortunately, even though height was fine, Eight knew immediately that he would have trouble fitting.

"It's best to go under the ground." Cat insisted before his head perked and he listened around. In the distance there was a mechanical clicking sound and Six noticed it as well. "What is that?" Cat started to push him into the tree. "Wockyworks. Not the friendly kind either, I can guarantee." As Six stumbled down the steps he dared to ask, "Are they… Like you were?" Cat didn't answer, but soon pushed Nine in as well, then looked to Eight. One reminder of his size and Cat decided to go first and continued behind them. Eight then squeezed in, shutting the door beside him as he saw a few red lines shine through the trees.

The door sealed and he squeezed down the stairs behind the others. Six was the first to step out in the tunnels underneath the forest bed. They were like tubes of dirt, packed tightly and breaking off in random directions with signs scattered here and there. Though he did feel delight when he noticed Mome Raths climbing down through tiny holes in the roof, spreading hidden wings and hovering around to alight the tunnels with their colorful glow. Nine noticed them as well and turned off his Lightstaff to see the colors better. Cat then appeared with Eight moving quickly as well.

The stairs closed behind them and Eight huffed, "Let's hope that holds them. Which ways the right one?" Cat tapped on one of his optics gently. "None of them. They're all wrong because they all end at the same place, which is nowhere. Or, nowhere right now." Nothing happened and he smacked the side of his head lightly, finally one of the optics glowed in a single beam. He started ahead and Nine relit his Lightstaff, following along. Six paused briefly in a trance. This all seemed like so much at once and if it wasn't for Cat's, "Come on, all of you back there." Six would have still lagged behind.

The group seemed to walk in circles through the dark tunnels. Sometimes Eight had to cut through roots, sometimes Six had to squeeze in a tight space to check an adjoining tunnel; he didn't know what for, but Cat insisted that he would 'know what it was when he saw it'. However, at one point something else happened, the second that Nine spotted a red light down one of the tunnels, one that was larger than the Mome Raths. "Is that a…?" Cat looked around the corner, hanging on the edge of the tunnel, before something happened that shocked the group; his smile dropped.

"Lights out." He announced and his optic went out while Nine struggled to turn his staff out. Cat was crouching, which they knew because of his lowered voice, and he murmured, "Keep close. We're almost there." The other Stitchpunks continued after him. Six crawled through the darkness awkwardly, his fingers clutching at the dirt as he heard Eight behind him. More than once the larger male ran into him, muttering in annoyance more than once, and eventually Cat stood again. He fidgeted a bit before speaking. "Nine, turn your bulb on, mine's not working."

Soon the Lightstaff was back on and Cat could be seen again the wall. "Eight, use some of that mass of yours to block the light from down the tunnel." Eight gave another mutter of annoyance before standing and doing so. "Six…" Cat smirked a little, "Watch this." He reached upwards and dug his claws into the dirt before dragging them down like a rectangle. He then kicked it in; the rectangle fell outwards and landed in a slant, leading upwards into a light. He led the way upwards and the three Stitchpunks followed eagerly.

Out into the world they stepped and Six was in absolute awe. These woods were so much different than before. The trees were enormous and stretched past view with a golden light shining through. On the ground around them and above them were mushrooms and toadstools. Golden and red, with spots and stripes, thin stalks and fat with wide caps and thin, thick and puffed, all living in harmony under the golden afternoon. "These are mushrooms…" Six quietly murmured, "This is the mushroom patch, right?"

Eight snorted in amusement and Six suddenly realized how silly the question was before Nine spoke, "You're leaving?" Six looked back to see that Cat was starting to vanish. His feet had disappeared and started to spread up his legs. "Oh no, Cat, please!" Six cried out, hurrying closer and insisting as he clutched his key, "Stay with us! We can all travel together, like we did before- Or not us, you never came with us…" He finished his rambling. Honestly he didn't like how empty Wonderland felt. Compared to last time he had already met Two, the Tweedles, Cat, the Duchess, and even Eight, even if he hadn't been all pleasant.

Everything was quiet in Wonderland. Beautiful, pleasant, still looked the same, but was so quiet. Yet Cat was insistent, "Look, kid, I like you… But after whatever happened earlier I think that I should be off on my own for a bit… Need to take a look around." He rubbed his neck and chuckled a bit, "I'll be keeping an eye out." He chuckled with his wide smile, his body continuing to vanish until his head remained, which paused almost playfully as its smile stretched even wider, revealing even more sharp teeth of metal. Soon only the smile remained and then it vanished as well.

"He makes quite an exit!" Nine exclaimed in amusement and slight amazement. Eight snorted a bit again, "Alright, so we're back to being in the woods without any idea where to go." He clearly didn't feel comfortable around Cat and Nine rolled his optics, "You know, it would help if you weren't so pessimistic. At least we're out of the dark." Eight paused before exhaling and looking to Six, "Where are we off to next? Lead the way." Six was actually surprised that the Guard was so willing to hand over the reins and smiled, "A-Alright… This way."

He began to lead the other two under the mushrooms, looking around for some sort of sign, eventually beginning to smell something. "Smells strange… Like smoke." Six pointed out to the others, "But that could be a house." He expected Eight to disagree, but he instead nodded, "It's worth going towards. Someone had to build the fire." Now Nine hesitated, "Unless the Wock-… The _Wockyworks_ set something on fire instead." Eight smirked at him, "Now whose being pessimistic, eh?" Six gave an amused chuckle before suddenly noticing a tinge of green in the air.

"It's coming from up there." He remarked quietly, "Above that mushroom. There's something on it, maybe?" Nine approached away and looked upwards at the tall mushroom as he saw the light smoke as well. "I could try to climb…" He looked to the stem, "Except, that's easier said than done. How do we climb the underside of the cap?" Suddenly Eight smirked and looked to Six with a slightly evil look, a look that made Six cringe slightly, "I think I have an idea…" Suddenly the striped male was grabbed and Nine did a double take, "Eight, what are you doing?!" Eight didn't answer and instead swung his body, flinging Six's much lighter body into the air.

Six managed to reach the mushroom's cap and grabbed on before sliding a bit, his sharp fingers dragging through the soft fungus. "Six, are you alright?!" Nine called in alarmed and Eight called as well, "He's fine. Just pull yourself up, Six!" He sounded confident with a smile so Six decided to attempt to get his grasp to climb upwards. Soon he was kneeling on the mushroom cap's top. It had a powdery, bitter smell that was almost overtaken by the smoke scent wafting from the other side of the mushroom. Looking over Six could see a large, glass bottle in the center of the mushroom.

It was filled with a yellowish green liquid and as Six stood and approached he could smell that it was coming from the bottle. In fact, it smelled rather poisonous. The toadstool cap wobbled beneath his feet and he peeked around the bottle before noticing that he wasn't alone. There sat a Stitchpunk almost hidden behind the bottle. A large tube came from the bottle and connected to a pipe that the Stitchpunk male held. He looked older and pale, covered in a large robe that trailed far past where his feet would be if they weren't folded, a robe of deep blue.

"Hello?" Six asked quietly and the older male looked to him with a smile presented underneath his hood, "Ah, hello, my child." He greeted warmly before inhaling from the pipe and the poison filled inside. Then he exhaled slowly, but what exhaled was nothing like the gas he inhaled. It was a soft green color and had no scent to it as it brushed along his face. In fact, as he inhaled a small bit of it he suddenly felt a strange rush, as though he had taken a gasp of the freshest air. Much different from the poisonous smell coming from the bottle. "Who are you?"

"I… What?" Six asked, almost dazed for a moment, and the older male chuckled, "Who are you?" Six perked and smiled as he was gestured to sit down, which he did. "I hardly know anymore, actually. I thought I did, but then I changed, and then I changed back, and now I'm a little confused." He pointed out in amusement before growing more sheepish and explaining, "Or, really, I'm Six. I'm here with my friends and we're trying to get to the Red Kingdom." He explained before continuing with, "Are you the Aged Man?" The older Stitchpunk smoked at his pipe before answering.

"That's quite a ways from here. I suppose you have an important event you are late for? I know of the King's insistence on punctuality." He continued and the Artist was a little confused at why he didn't answer his question. "Six?" Eight called from beneath the mushroom, "What's the hold up?" Six called down to them, "I'm just- There's someone here. I'm fine." He looked to the older male who now spoke, "The Aged Man lives in these woods, but he is not me. I am the Caterpillar." Six smiled a little, "Nice to meet you Mr. Caterpillar. I'm Six… You heard, probably." The older male nodded in agreement, "That I did, young one."

Six paused briefly before asking, "Umm… So… What are you doing?" The Caterpillar smiled and Six caught a glimpse of Nine out the corner being tossed in the air, but unfortunately not high enough to get a grip like Six. "I'm smoking my pipe, young one, and contemplating the troubles of others." He glanced over towards where Nine had been after hearing the thump that came when Nine landed back on Eight, along with light squabbling. "But… Why? Why do you smoke that stuff? It smells… It smells like poison. It can't taste good." Six pointed out and shifted to cross his legs and the Caterpillar chuckled again.

"Well I used to smoke something much better. Something delightful and fragrant, making smoke rings to pass the time. However, I noticed that the mushrooms suffered, as when I smoked that I would exhale poison. At first I was quite distraught; there was nothing like a good smoke in the late afternoon, but it ruined the forest which was the home of many Wonderlandians including myself. So I supposed if I smoke the pleasant and it creates poison, then if I smoked the poison it would create pleasant instead. So I did and I do and the forest is a little cleaner, and I get an afternoon smoke."

He took another inhale and Six complimented, "That's really great of you. Even if it tastes worse you still do it." He then looked around, "And the forest is beautiful… But you were right, we are late." Six changed tone as suddenly he saw Nine start climbing onto the mushroom again, getting up quicker than even Six did. "Do you know the way to the Aged Man's home?" The Caterpillar nodded, "That I do. It's wicks from here." Six stared before Nine came close enough that the older noticed him, "Who are you?" Nine simply stared, almost looking stunned, and Six insisted.

"What's wicks?" He offered and the Caterpillar turned back to him, "It's a direction. Nook, sews, easel, and wicks. The Aged Man lives on the wicks side of the woods in a large mushroom." For the life of him Six couldn't remember if directions were named this last time, but nodded and began to stand, "Thank you for your time Mr. Caterpillar." He then looked to Nine who seemed to be studying the older male silently, "Nine?" Finally the zippered male looked over, but before he could speak he was interrupted by the Caterpillar once more.

"Take some of the mushroom with you. One side makes you grow and one side makes you shrink. It may be useful once you leave these woods." Six cocked his head, "You mean this mushroom?" The older looked amused, "Is there any other?" Six gave a crooked smile, "Only a couple hundred more." This was the first actual laugh that he got out of the Caterpillar before his tapped the cap beneath him, "It's this mushroom." Before Six could even ask Nine kneeled down to take a piece of the mushroom before leaning over the edge and grabbing a piece from under the cap as well.

"Got it!" He called out before coming over to the older male again, "Thanks again, Sir." He greeted before unzipping himself to put the pieces inside. The Artist's mismatched optics suddenly stared inside of the other and he started over to push him open a bit more. "Umm… Six?" Nine asked in confusion, but Six slowly shook his head, noticing a copper colored item. "What… What are you doing with _that?_ " He demanded, horrified, and Nine was taken aback, "What? Six, you know I started carrying it around after the war." He pointed out and Six pulled back fearfully.

He gripped his key tightly and stepped back before looking to the Caterpillar who was looking over curiously, "Thank you again, Mister Caterpillar, I hope we meet again soon." He then went to the edge of the mushroom. "Umm, Eight?" He called down and the Guard got underneath him, "Can you maybe catch me?" It felt embarrassing to ask, but Eight surprisingly shrugged it off. "What do think I'm doing here?" He asked in response and Six hopped, or slid, off the edge. Eight caught him easily because of how light Six was and slowly set him down. Soon Nine appeared and was caught as well, let down quicker.

"Six, I'm sorry, I didn't know we were coming so I just brought it with me." He excused, "But… But that Caterpillar up there, did you know him?" Six was still looking upset and worried while Eight was confused, "Brought what?" He watched as Nine grabbed his Lightstaff that was resting against the stem, "That?" Six shook his head and murmured, "No… He has the Source." Eight recognized that as Six's word for the Talisman before looking to Nine, "You know the Machine's here, right?" He asked casually and Nine stared before tensing, "The… The Fabrication Machine?"

He looked to Six abruptly, "You never said there was another Machine here." His optics were wide with horror and Six bit his lip before Eight spoke, "Course he did. The Jabberwock, or one of them. Something like that." Nine was growing panicked while Six looked to Eight in surprise, "Six, you didn't tell me that! You never said anything about that- I thought you were travelling with the Jabberwock!" Six sputtered out, "I-I didn't want to scare anyone, so I… I thought I only told the twins or… How did you know?"

"You just said it at some point." Eight shrugged off, but this was a lie. He had been purposely been listening in when Six mentioned it to the twins and Seven. The twins had seemed a bit fearful when he mentioned the Jabberwock and he supposed that this was why Six had failed to tell the others. Or, at least, failed to tell Nine. Strangely enough Nine was the only Stitchpunk who truly took news of the Fabrication Machine so badly. "It was… The Jabberwock is the Machine, or was, the Jabberwock I knew was a Stitchpunk, remember?" Six insisted, "It's defeated now and is it the factory… But the Source…"

Nine slowly looked downwards before looking back upwards with determination, "I won't make the same mistake twice, Six. If anything happens I know how to defeat it." A slightly relief passed Six and Eight started to lead, "Alright, from what I get of the sun wicks, I'm guessing west, should be this way. Let's go." He continued on while the other two followed. Though only a few steps in Nine asked, "Six?" The Artist looked to him, "Did you… Did you recognize the Caterpillar?" The Artist shook his head, "We never met before… Did you?"

"I… I think so…" Nine murmured, looking down at the ground, "I think he, maybe I'm imagining it, but I thought he sounded like the Scientist sort of. I only heard that one message though and the audio wasn't in great condition…" He seemed doubtful until Eight glanced over his shoulder, "I remember it. That was his voice." Six was a little surprised that they both recognized it before looking to the ground, realizing that he couldn't remember much of the Scientist who was their parent. Nine, however, smiled wide and happily, "Really? That's… I guess that's why he was so nice..." He left it with that and they continued along.

Though it lingered in Six's mind for quite a while afterwards.

* * *

 **Mable: And thus the Caterpillar has appeared, leading to both joy and some somberness, but thankfully leading them in the right direction. Every step counts! Anyway, the next chapter will be posted soon, I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	3. Out of the Woods

**Mable: Here we are with the third chapter of our Wonderland tale! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Three: Out of the Woods_

Eventually the three of the travelling Stitchpunks arrived at what was clearly the mushroom house. It was a much taller and wider mushroom that had a large wooden door on the front and a couple of open windows that were guarded by heavy, wood shutters. It was only when the Stitchpunks noticed that the door knob was rather large and shiny that Nine made an observation. "Did we… Shrink again?" He offered, looking to the other two questioningly. Eight shrugged while Six tried to explain, "I, well, not all of Wonderland is the same size. But I don't think it's enough to try the mushroom…"

"It's worth a try. I don't want to give him the idea that I'm always this size." Eight pointed out before crossing over to Nine and holding out his hand, "I'll be the lab rat for it. You know which is which, right?" Nine slowly nodded before unzipping himself and pulling out the two pieces. "This piece was from the top and this piece was from the bottom… Usually I'd say the top would make you grow, but since it's different here then maybe it's backwards." As he contemplated Six made an offer, "Maybe we should stay this size. We might leave the Tulgey Woods and be the right size again without using it…"

"We can always eat some of the other one." Eight insisted before abruptly turning to Six, "Unless there's a reason you're hesitant." It was strange how quickly the Guard went from willing to try the mushroom to dreading it and seeking Six's guidance on it. To be completely honest, Six just didn't want to use the mushroom because it felt like a hassle, and only partially because he had no idea what it would do. The change in size wouldn't be enough to spur on the human transformation at least, Six didn't know if he would be able to keep a straight face whenever the two reacted to seeing themselves like that.

"Here." Nine offered, handing out the mushroom top. Eight took it but then looked back to Six who finally gave in. "Alright… Just not too much. A little goes a long way." He gave a little smile and the large actually got a touch of one of his own, which would have startled Six if the Guard didn't follow by taking a full bite out of the piece. "Not that much!" Six cried out and Eight raised a brow before swaying a bit. Then he suddenly began to shrink quickly. "Wrong side…" Six quietly murmured and Nine nervously laughed, "Uh… I guess it is backwards. Here's the other one."

He tried to hand it over as Eight continued to shrink until he was almost as small as when they first shrunk to enter Wonderland. The other mushroom piece had been dropped and Six crouched down to grab it before taking Nine's as well. "Red cap makes us shrink, brown bottom makes us larger." Six murmured before repeating it again, getting a confused look from Nine, "I repeat things. Then I remember better." He cracked a smile and Eight grumbled to himself, "This is great. Now what?"

Six handed Nine back the shrinking piece and looked to Eight before cutting out a piece of the mushroom with his sharp fingers. "Maybe if you have the same mouthful comparison as the shrinking mushroom you'll get back to how you were before." He handed over the piece of fungus and Eight took it, looking it over before taking in the bite. Six watched eagerly until finally the larger male, though not now larger, started to slowly grow once more. Soon he stopped at his normal height once more.

He exhaled in relief before Nine put the mushroom back in his chest, soon putting the other piece in as well. "Maybe Six is right about skipping the mushroom. At least, until we figure out an easy way to measure it." Eight seemed to agree and approached the door to knock on it, Six standing and following with Nine. A few knocks caught no attention from whoever was inside. Eight started to bang louder until finally there was the sound of footsteps before the door opened and a male leaned out.

"Hey. I'm Eight, that's Six, that's Nine, and we're looking for an Aged- What are you wearing on your head?" Eight asked in exasperation and weariness as he noticed the large mushroom cap that was secured to the male's head. The older male squinted his round optics in a strange way, "It's a disguise to keep at bay possible prey. This cap," He pointed to it, "resembles the Old Man of the Woods Bolete, which tastes bland at best and awful at worst, which repels even the hungriest of creature." The man's lengthy explanation triggered silence from the group.

Six was the quickest to recover and spoke, "Umm… Are you the Aged Man?" The male nodded, "I am." Then started to disappear back inside before Six cried again, "No, don't _leave_! The Caterpillar sent us, we need your help!" The Aged Man paused and appeared again, "'We' as in 'you and the caterpillar' or 'we' as in 'you and your group'." Six furrowed his brow, "Just… Just us three. We need help to get to the Red Kingdom and out of these woods." The Aged Man didn't look too concerned, "If you keep going you eventually reach the end."

He started to pull back before Six insisted again, "But it's urgent!" Though right at that moment Nine turned back as he detected a metallic squeak from nearby. Looking back past the mushrooms and trees he gasped as he saw a red light appearing from nearby; the eye of a spider-like machine climbing along a tree, searching. "Wockywork!" He gasped and whispered harshly. Eight and Six looked back only to see the creature and knowing it was true, especially when another appeared from behind a mushroom.

The Aged Man saw the beings as well and his pupils widened before he pulled the door farther open. "Come in quickly!" None of the three hesitated and they rushed inside, soon having the door sealed behind them and secured with a few locks. "They must have followed the underground passages from above, or came from below!" Nine pointed out to the others and Eight pulled out his knife as thought preparing for a fight while Six insisted, "T-This doesn't make sense! Why is everything attacking us?! It wasn't like this before!"

It was at this point that the Aged Man spoke, dread crossing his gray face. "Do you know what this means…?" He asked quietly before crying out in frustration, "It means that this damn thing doesn't work at all!" He peeled off the mushroom cap and tossed it out of the way before rubbing his gray head. When he looked down towards something on a desk he noticed an odd, small design on the top of his head that looked like some sort of animal. He then dragged his mismatched optics away and looked at the circular home; the furniture was either styled like or actually was made of smaller mushrooms.

"You said something about needing to get to the Hearts Kingdom." The Aged Man pointed out, suddenly catching on and looking to the group. Nine turned in alarm, "Yes! As soon as possible! We keep… We keep getting attacked by everything in the vicinity!" The taller and older nodded quickly before insisting, "I think I have a way out. I have a flying machine." Now Six finally looked back over while Eight quipped, "You're kidding." The Aged Man insisted, "I am kidding you not! But we must make haste. If they get onto the roof before we can take off we might not be able to take off at all!"

By now scratching noises started on the walls as the Wockyworks attempted to dig through. "Will we need to be bigger?" Six asked and looked to Nine, but the Aged Man insisted, "You're at the perfect size. Any bigger and my machine will not carry us." He headed to the center of the room where a round section that looked like another, miniature mushroom stem remained. He yanked a lever down on the side and it opened, revealing a small lift inside of brass. "Get in!" The three dashed over and huddled inside with him before he pulled a cord dangling from the ceiling. At that moment the lift began to steadily raise.

Soon they were up inside the mushroom cap which was hollow and comprised of the Aged Man's workshop. He scuttled across the soft floor to a workbench, going over some papers quickly before looking to the three. "Dormy! Hurry and come out here! We're leaving!" There was no response and he huffed, "Where is that lazy, little rodent?" he looked around and Six spoke, "We could find him. You can work, we'll get him." He boldly offered before looking around the room. Eventually he managed to spot something small, though larger than himself in this state, and covered in brown fur.

Six started to head over when Eight locked a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, wait." He directed, but the Artist insisted, "I'll be careful." Before pulling away and continuing further on towards the animal being nearby. He could hear the soft, squeaking snoring that came from the tiny being. Six looked over it before reaching out and shaking its side, "Umm… Hello? Dormy?" After a few seconds it yawned and straightened, turning back to look at him. It looked fully like an organic animal and lacked any metal or fabric parts, which surprised the Artist and delighted him at the same time.

It had beady black eyes and chestnut fur with a long tail. "Hi there." Six spoke in a friendly way and the creature looked to him curiously before the Aged Man called, "Dormy!" The being finally straightened and hurried over to his side. Six ran after him and looked to the older male in delight even though the danger they were in at the current moment. "Sir?" He asked, "What is Dormy? He's quite peculiar." The older male glanced down before petting the nap of Dormy's neck, "He's a Dormouse, of course. There's quite a few of these in Wonderland."

"He's cute." Six added in before the Aged Man hurried off, triggering the Dormouse to follow slowly and tiredly. "It was only now that Six noticed a contraption on the other side of the room, mostly blocked from his vision because of the lift. Nine and Eight already noticed it and had started over to look at it. "Is this what we're taking out of here?" Eight asked doubtfully and Nine simply gawked in awe. It was the strangest contraption he had seen, but as he looked it over he was already starting to figure out the mechanics, and it didn't take him too long to realize that it was a one man flying machine.

"How is this…?" He started to ask in surprise, wanting to know everything all at once, but before he could continue the Aged Man insisted, "We'll talk in the air." The flying machine had a seat like a bicycle to peddle on the back with a fan of firm leaves that it controlled. There was also a fan connected to the front that pointed upwards. Connected to the machine by ropes between both fans was a large balloon made out of a stretchy fungus. The Aged Man lifted a canister of some kind and injected a sharp tip into the fungus, filling it quickly with some sort of air that made it expand and float.

"Dormy, into the back." Indeed there was a back on it between the fan and the cycle seat. There was another seat, circular in shape and fit for the Dormouse. He started to wander over towards the machine and Nine got an idea. "Here, let's let the Dormouse carry us up." He rushed forward and jumped onto the side of the mouse, clinging to its fur. Surprisingly enough Dormy didn't even seem to mind. Six rushed forward as well and leapt onto it too, clinging on tightly, and Eight was last to hop on back near the tail. Eight's weight was the only one that the mouse seemed to pause in confusion at.

The Dormouse turned its body around and lightly bit onto Eight who grunted at the action, soon being lifted off of the back and carried in its mouth as it hopped onto the back seat. The Aged Man started to open the roof with a crank; on one portion of the mushroom cap it was simply boarded over, which most likely meant that he made the opening specifically to open. "Get in the basket!" Nine looked around, "Basket?" It wasn't until he pushed down the mouse's fur to see and looked towards the front that he saw the small basket attached to the front.

Six was already making his way for it when Nine joined him. They climbed in and Eight managed to free himself of Dormy's grip and climbed into the basket as well. The Aged Man climbed onto the machine and began to peddle quickly, and soon it started to raise out of the mushroom home. The group was horrified to see the group of Wockywork spiders that had circled the home and were attempting to climb it. "We made it just in time…" Six quietly pointed out before looking to the Aged Man, "Oh Sir, I'm sorry about your home."

The older Stitchpunk didn't seem concerned, "They don't care about my home, young one. They'll leave it be once they realize we are not inside." Six seemed a little relieved and Nine now spoke, "I can't believe you made a flying machine. It's- It's incredible! Can it really carry us all the way to the Hearts Kingdom?" He asked as the machine tilted to weave by a large tree. The sudden shift in balance sent Six stumbling across the basket and falling into the opposite side laying there for a few minutes. "Unfortunately, I can't. I'll drop you off at the crossroads, but I'll need to return and seek out the Caterpillar."

"Why would they go after him?" Six asked, almost dreadful, "He's just a… He's no harm to them." The machine shifted back to normal and he swayed again, this time Nine seemed to have his balance shaken as well. "Wockyworks attack all now. They spawn at the factory and attack… But they aren't the only threat. Back on a few weeks ago the Diamond Kingdom was overtaken by a spread of… The simplest term world just be a 'transformation'. The Wockyworks attacked and the entire area shifted, destroying buildings and replacing them with an alternate existence. Almost like the Beyond Lands, but not quiet."

Six flinched and Nine's optics widen, "Did anyone make it?" Nine asked and the Aged Man insisted, "They _all_ made it. They were forced to leave their homes, but they spread to smaller villages and towns amongst Wonderland. There's no safety in the Kingdoms; they are the targets." Six knew he hadn't seen the Diamond Kingdom before and could only wonder what sort of state it was in. "It just changed? That's so strange… But I've been to the Beyond Lands. I know how strange it is, how quickly it changes." The Aged Man nodded, "I haven't seen it myself, but if that mess spreads we are all fit to flee."

A silence overtook the group as they continued along further through the forest. Again the Aged Man spoke, "I will let you off at the crossroads between Deep Undertow Village and the Hearts Kingdom. Don't head to Deep Undertow Village; they are overfilled with refugees and are not worth the travelling time. Head straight to the Heart's Kingdom and they will be able to accompany you. Especially if they called on you." He nearly tipped the machine at this turn and Eight was forced to grab ahold of Six's shoulder to keep him from stumbling by again.

"That's the plan." Eight insisted, "We weren't planning on taking this long anyway." He wearily looked upwards at the sky through the trees and could see it a mix of light purples and dark blues, signaling that sunset was already starting to pass by. The Guard was disturbed, "Anyone got any idea what time it is?" He asked looking towards Nine and Six. Six shrugged through the grip on his shoulder and the Aged Man reached into his pocket, "I should have a watch…" The second he did the steering went insane and they started to tilt and head towards a tree. "Whoa! Wait! Not you!" Eight corrected and Nine gave a cry before dropping down into the basket.

The Aged Man caught on and addressed the steering, "It is after brilling and before evening. That's enough." Eight and Six both looked to Nine and the zippered male sheepishly stood with an embarrassed smile, chuckling a little bit. The machine slipped between the large trees before finally bursting out into the thinner area of wonderland. Some trees, more meadows, and definitely not the forest any longer. There wasn't even a mushroom in sight and soon a path seemed to appear. Six peered out and looked around through the surrounding sky before noticing something in the distance.

It looked like a group of buildings perhaps, or a fortress, or maybe a castle, and Six tried to see clearer with his mismatched optics. His heart perked, "That could be… That looks like the Red Kingdom." Eight crossed over with raised brows, "Looks pretty far to go on foot." He leaned against the edge of the basket tiredly before Six asked, "Are you okay?" Eight rubbed his face before looking over slowly, "…No. I'm not." The Artist looked saddened at this, "…Is it because of…?" Eight quickly added in, "Was it like this the last time you were here?"

A few moments passed before the striped male looked away, "No, it wasn't…" He bit his lip and admitted, "I didn't see the danger, but I was more afraid because I was alone. Now I see the danger… But I'm not as scared because I'm not alone." He looked down at the ground far below and suddenly Eight added in, "That's a good thing. You're our leader, you need to keep confident." He looked down at the ground and Six felt a small smile start to bud until the Guard leaned back oddly. Six blinked and looked over to the larger male, "Hmm?"

"Shouldn't have looked down." He mumbled before crouching to sit down, panting lightly and optics widening, "I just… I just need a second…" Six was baffled at the behavior before amusement appeared, "Eight, are you… Afraid of heights?" For a split second Six actually felt like he outdid something, or like he was somehow a step above Eight, but mostly a sort of innocent amusement. "I'm afraid of falling and dying." He responded before calling to the Aged Man, "Hey, why are we so high? We weren't this high back in the woods." The older shrugged it off.

"The higher the better. Now we won't crash into the branches covering the canopy." Eight almost thought he misunderstood, not believing that the Aged Man would actually say that. They started to slowly lower and Nine encouraged the Guard, "Come on, Eight, we're starting to land anyway. There's nothing to worry about _now._ " Six cracked Nine an amused smile and the zippered male gave a lopsided one back in his own amusement. "We're landing? We weren't landing a few seconds ago." He pointed out, as though defending himself, and the Aged Man merely huffed in exasperation instead of responding.

The machine slowly floated down until the ground was more defined. Six could see a path twisting through grassy hills and found a split with his optics that seemed to diverge from the Tulgey Woods. "Is that the crossroads?" The Aged Man gave a nod and Nine looked down as well, "Almost there. We're going to need to be careful, though. We'll be seen easier in the open." Now Eight decided to speak again, "If they're like Beasts then it depends on what kind. Some don't do well in the sun." He felt a jarring as the machine finally stopped only a few inches above the ground.

"Dormy, take them down." The male with the grey fabric instructed and the dormouse slowly climbed around him and to the basket, pausing as though waiting for them to climb on. This time Eight was the first one on, throwing his weight at the mouse's middle as to not interest him in carrying the large one with his mouth. Six and Nine climbed on as well and Dormy hopped to the cobblestone path. They climbed down, the Mouse returned to its seat, and the Aged Man said farewell, "The Hearts Kingdom is that way. Stay on the path; if you see trouble hide in the grass, but go no further than that. Keep your hats on high."

With that he began to peddle and rose back into the air once more, turning once high enough and heading back towards the forest. The remaining three stood there until Eight asked, "Hats on high?" Six shrugged a little and gave a small smile, "Maybe it means good luck or something?" Eight snorted a bit, "Maybe if any of us were wearing hats." It was more of a mix of amusement and disbelief than before and, strangely enough, Eight was starting to simply accept things a bit easier now. He turned to the path and started walking with Nine and Six following, eventually Six taking the lead once more.

As evening set in the path became darker, guided by small dots of stars that began to appear in the sky, and the grass was blown in a soft wind. It brushed at their backs and guided them forward further, coaxing them onwards towards whatever waited for them. Eventually the form in the distance grew closer and closer as night set upon them, though it was obvious that tiredness was beginning to set in. It had already almost been later in the day at the Library when they came to Wonderland where it was earlier in the afternoon, so they had a few extra hours of jarring awareness.

Nine was showing it the most. He lagged in the back looking a bit weary. Eight managed to keep going pretty fine as his endurance was higher while Six had gone days without sleep in the past. It helped that he had gotten a full night's sleep the night before so he knew he had enough energy and time to make it to the castle. Nine, however, was starting to lose wind and offered, "Maybe, guys, we should stop for a while." He remarked tiredly, stopping his footsteps and leaning against his staff. It was only once they stopped that they noticed a strange noise from nearby.

It sounded like something was moving down the path, but nobody could see anything. Eight went on guard and reached for his knife while Six encouraged Nine. "It's not too much farther. If we really hurry then we should be able to make it inside." Yet Nine was hesitant and looked to his Lightstaff, "It's just that we've been walking for a while. Think it's dark enough that I need to turn this on? I was trying to conserve the bulb, but it's pretty dark." Before Six could speak Eight interrupted, "Something'll see us with that on." He looked around suspiciously, "And there's something running around nearby…"

A few moments passed before Nine turned around and attempted to peer through the darkness, "I think it's coming from back that way." Almost right after saying this he started to notice something large and dark moving along the path and sputtered, "Into the grass!" Both he and Eight started to the edge of the tall grass, Eight only hesitating when he noticed Six wasn't coming, "Come on, Six!" Six quietly argued, "It doesn't look like a Wockywork. Maybe we don't need to hide." Yet Nine ran out and grabbed his arm, practically dragging him into the grass to hide, all three peering out expectantly.

"I really don't think it's anything dangerous." Six protested once more before the thing came into view. The Artist almost felt more reassured by seeing it. It was some sort of carriage being pulled by two large birds that walked instead of flying. Six had seen these birds in a book of the twins'; they were Dodos. As they passed by Nine gave a pat to Six's shoulder before looking to the two, "I'm thinking-." Eight immediately argued, "I know what you're thinking, and no." Nine insisted, "Look how much faster it's going… Alright, maybe not that much faster, but we wouldn't have to walk."

"How do you plan to get on that thing?" Eight asked in return and Nine paused before perking, "We'll try a little bit of the mushroom. One of us can get big enough to reach the back and pull the others up." Eight gave an unconvinced look, "You mean me." Nine looked to the carriage that was starting to pass and looked to Six. Six was surprised that the zippered male turned to him and bit his lip for a second. He glanced to the carriage; it was going to pass and they were going to miss it. "Eight, it's a good idea…" He tried to convince, knowing that this could possibly strain the somewhat better terms that they were on.

Of course Eight still didn't look pleased, but Six continued, "And you're the only one strong enough to lift us. Please?" The Guard grumbled a bit and glanced between the two before huffing, "Fine, whatever." He was clearly not pleased but reached out his hand, "The mushroom." Nine hurried to open himself and find the opposite mushroom piece from before and handed it over. The Guard nearly took a full bite when he noticed the dread on Six's face, mentally questioning how tall he would grow with one bite. Though tallness didn't exactly seem too terrible in the situation he instead pulled a small piece off to eat.

The mushroom was handed back as he began to slowly grow taller. He stopped at about double the height that he was in the small form, so not yet at his own height. Either way the carriage was hurrying off and he scooped Nine and Six up into his arms before dashing after it. They were tossed onto the back of the carriage before Eight grabbed ahold of the small edge and pulled himself up as well, being too big to sit on it and instead just hanging on as the carriage continued on its way. Nine eventually slumped against a nook in the back of the carriage and began to fall asleep.

Six stayed awake and was appropriately rewarded when the Red Kingdom came more into view. He smiled to himself knowingly; he was finally home.

* * *

 **Mable: But what shall he see when he gets there? Maybe he'll finally get some answers… But that's for next time! Here's one answer; brilling is actually a time period and a term used in 'Through the Looking Glass'… Fun fact, mostly. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed!  
Second fun fact; the Aged Man and March Hare both have a different Dormouse named 'Dormy'. XD It is intentional, not a mistake.**


	4. In the Red King's Court

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! Without any time to waste, after all we are quite late, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Four: In the Red King's Court_

They had to abandon the carriage because it was only passing by the Red Kingdom, but slipped through the outer gates and made it to the front of the castle without any events. Six could feel a bubbling of both excitement and nervousness stirring in his chest. Part of him wondered if anything would have changed in his time gone, but the other part didn't care if it did. He had to see the others and hurried inside, even when neither Eight nor Nine felt like hurrying anywhere. The castle regardless was in beautiful condition. The ruby carpets guided his way between crimson drapes and stained glass windows.

He tightened his grip on his key before noticing a nearby card guard. "Excuse me." He announced and the being looked towards him. Unlike the violent, partially monstrous versions he had seen last time this time the guard was clearly just a Stitchpunk in a suit. The suit, naturally, still resembles a card for the most part and was marked with the seven of hearts. "I'm Six, I was here before… Back when the King of Hearts was under the fever? Back… I need to see someone." He attempted to explain. He couldn't see the expression under the guard's helmet, but he did see him pull back a bit as in surprise.

"A little shorter than I expected…" He remarked before nodding, "His highness- The White Rabbit is expecting you. Come with me." He noticed Eight and Nine coming as well and seemed surprised, "…Boss?... Err, come on." He was very confused and guided the three into a separate room that connected with a hallway. The room held a few seating chairs and the card guard instructed them further, "Sit down here. I'll get him." He then continued off while the three waited behind. Eight looked around the room, "Looks like a place of One's." He remarked as though content with the castle.

"Sort of looks like the Cathedral with the curtains and the colored windows." He added in and looked towards Nine to see him tiredly climbing on a chair before looking to Six, "Hey." He started somewhat quietly, "We need to talk." Six looked down abruptly, "About… About siding with Nine earlier?" Eight seemed confused, "What? No." There was brief relief in the Artist before the Guard continued, "About before we came down here…. Maybe I was too hard on you about the Wonderland thing… Now that it's real I feel like a fool." It actually was difficult that he was wrong.

Not that Eight didn't believe he was wrong, he certainly did now, but it was hard saying it. Thankfully Six seemed to catch on without Eight having to say anything more. "Oh Eight… No, it's fine." He exhaled softly, "Nobody else really believed me either. It's not an easy thing to believe." Yet Eight was insistent, "Maybe not, but you've never lied before. You've never even told a story like this. There's no reason not to believe you… Even if everything is as weird as hell." He joked a little and gave an amused smile which Six returned.

"Six?" Six was surprised by the other voice and looked back to see that they were joined by a new Stitchpunk. The Artist immediately recognized the short male with the metal hat topped with its mock ear-like parts. A clean, white vest rested on his chest and his optics were wide in surprise and relief. It was none other than the White Rabbit himself, Two. Six's face alit, "Two!" and he started over happily. Two also got a matching smile and Nine was delighted, "He does look like Two!" He whispered to a taken aback Eight; the resemblance was uncanny.

"Six! You've come back to us!" Two exclaimed in delight and crouched down before the striped male, "A bit smaller than I remember, though." He playfully added in and the smaller smiled sheepishly, "We shrunk along the way, but were afraid to use the mushrooms." He admitted with a bit of embarrassment. Two gave an amused chuckle, "That's why I left you the biscuits!" Before Six could point out that they were gone the White Rabbit noticed his companions and looked towards them. "Why hello there!... I suppose you're not from down here." Six was confused how Two noticed the difference, but the others weren't.

"Right. We're from back- from the Emptiness, with Six." Nine explained with a friendly smile, "So you're the White Rabbit? Six has spoken a lot about you!" Two smiled warmly down at the currently smaller, "Good things I hope." Nine nodded and now Two straightened, "Now let's get you three back to normal size! I have something that I think you will enjoy. Come with me." Six and Nine started to follow, Eight following and asking along the way, "What about the King?" Two seemed amused by his concern, "It'll take him a few minutes to prepare himself, it always does, we'll head into the throne room afterwards."

Six imagined being led into some sort of potion room, but oddly enough Two simply led them into the kitchen. He took them to a quieter pantry in the back away from the many chefs working on dinner. The smell wafting through was delicious and even Nine and Eight felt tempted, even though they had never ate or tasted anything. Two hummed as he pulled out a small footstool from the bottom shelf and climbed upwards, pulling out a paper box. "You're very fortunate. These have only just been made and are very fresh!" He climbed back down and lowered himself into a crouch while opening the box.

Inside were about a dozen tarts. They were of crispy and flaky shells filled with a red jam. They smelled sweet and Nine reached into the box to grab one, which naturally seemed huge compared to his body. "These look way more appetizing than the mushrooms." Six agreed, but suddenly was alarmed, "But won't the King be upset? These are his tarts." Nine stopped mid-way to tasting a bit of the jam, but Two encouraged, "Don't worry about One! Now enjoy, and don't worry about size. You'll see that these aren't everyday tarts that get baked in these walls."

"One's going to flip if he finds out, isn't he?" Eight suggested in amusement as he took a bit of the tart, pleased with the taste being sweet and flaky instead of bland and rubbery. After only a few bites Eight felt himself beginning to grow and seeing the effect Six began to eat as well. Nine was a bit more hesitant and Two insisted, "Go on. You'll stop at your proper height." With this Nine continued with a few bites of the item, enjoying the taste thoroughly. Soon they all started to grow to normal height, becoming somewhat crowded inside of the pantry as Two explained with delight.

"These are the first of their kind; A remedy to level the height. They are a bit difficult to make as they need to be both solid enough and liquid enough to handle both shrinking and growing properties… Unfortunately One's taste for tarts spread to these." He chuckled and attempted to look past the three Stitchpunks. "You might want to slide back?" Eight started to step out backwards, running into a small chef who stumbled out of the way with a cry. The Guard then bumped into a table, but thankfully didn't knock anything off and regained his balance.

"Now that you're appropriate size, come into the throne room. Dinner will be done later." As he guided them out Six was confused, "We're… Having dinner? I thought there was something wrong in Wonderland." He pointed out and Two hesitated at the door. Now Nine added in with disturbance, "We were already attacked by the Cheshire Cat. He was being... Controlled by something?" At this Eight added in, "He turned around once I was through with him." It was almost as though he was proud of what happened in a way.

Two seemed to pause before insisting, "Yes, well… One will want to discuss that with you, but first I have something I want you to see." He smiled a bit and led the three back through the halls and into the large, towering throne room. It was currently empty at the moment and thus Two put an arm around Six's shoulders and guided him to the throne, showing a small bed at the bottom of the steps. "Things have changed around here since you were last here. We have a new addition among us." He smiled without any sort of dread for the situation occurring out in the world.

The small bed was curtained and as Two pulled back the curtain Six could see a tiny figure inside. There laid a small Stitchpunk curled in the bedding. He smiled and leaned in, looking over the infant, noticing the small Rabbit ears laying against its head and a tiny puff of a tail. Its fabric was a soft pink color and it was fast asleep. "Oh Two, it's so… Cute!" He pointed out after finding a word to match. Two nodded in agreement, "She is, isn't she? The new, little princess…" He reached down and pet over her back, the baby Stitchpup releasing a soft squeak in her sleep before yawning.

"Is she your princess?" Six asked with a small smile that started to grow coy. Two chuckled a low, pleased chuckle, moving his hand to take her small one. "She's the princess of all of us… But yes, she is mine." He playfully added in. It was at this time that the doors opened and two males entered inside the throne room. The first was obviously the King of Hearts. One strode into the room looking just as regal as ever, Nine and Eight who hadn't even seen this version of One before already knew from the way he strode in that he was just as confident as their own.

He looked straight to Six and Two where he started over. Nine had been staring at him so much that he was actually taken aback when a second Stitchpunk entered and spoke, "Nine?" Surprised laced his voice and Nine looked over before sputtering as he realized that it was Five standing before him. However, he was dressed in odd clothing, in fact he was dressed differently than when Six had seen him when he was last here. He wore a light brown jacket that was decorated in golden embroidery. A '5' was embroidered on his jacket's back and his cuffs were held closed by white, square shaped cufflinks.

His hat was taller than before and was a new hat altogether. It was a white and gold checker pattern with a black brim. A strip of red ribbon wrapped around it with a black heart symbol, most likely a symbol to show his connection with the Red Kingdom. He broke into a smile and jumped forward, hugging onto Nine tightly, "You're back! Where have you been- We were so worried- What happened?! When we got your letter we-…" Five paused before looking over towards Eight, pausing for a moment before pulling back.

"Eight, what are you doing back…?" He asked quietly before looking over to Two and noticing Six, and then it all clicked. "Six?! You're back?!" He then looked back to Nine and suddenly pulled back, "Oh, umm, sorry! I thought… I thought you were someone else…" Nine stared at him before cracking a smile, "Yeah. I sort of did too." There was an awkward pause before One cleared his voice, "If we may continue." Six now noticed him and smile, "One- Your Majesty-." One stopped him, "Six, you have earned the right to call me by my name." He then paused and addressed the others, "That goes for Six only." He reminded almost in a cocky fashion.

He crossed to his throne and climbed the steps to sit down. This One's cape was much longer and much more regal that their own One's. It flowed to the ground and drug behind him, the shoulders and neck lined in white fluff and shaped almost like a heart in design. His crown took the same shape as their own had, but was of black metal. Instead of a coin there was the shape of a heart in the black metal that was filled with stained glass plates of varying red hues. His clothing underneath the cape and crown was actually a rather simple, yet comfortable looking suit of burgundy, which conflicted the look a bit.

"I see that you aren't alone." He announced and Six nodded, "I'm not." He briefly waved to Five with a smile as he crossed over, which Five returned with his own, and stood by Nine and Eight, "This is Nine and this is Eight. They accidently fell down the Rabbit Hole with me." One nodded, "Indeed. We are aware of the counterpart Stitchpunks and, considering your lack of proper clothing, I had an idea. Especially considering that both Eight and Nine shouldn't be anywhere near here." Six blinked in confusion before daring to ask, "Where are they…?"

One slowly exhaled, "We've been having… Trouble, as you probably know. Two said he left a letter for you." Six nodded and now Nine chimed in, "We tried to hurry because of that, but we were running into trouble. You know about the Wockyworks better than us, probably." One nodded, "Indeed we do. They are one of the pain troubles that we have had. Let me start from the beginning." He exhaled and rubbed his forehead before Five chimed in, "Sir, would you like some tea? It might help." One nodded against the rubbing, "Yes, quickly."

Five rushed forward and Six murmured to Eight and Nine, "Five is the Mad Hatter I travelled with." Nine smiled a little bit, "I remember. He's just like Five. It's actually a little jarring." Five climbed the steps beside One before taking off his tall hat. He reached inside and opened a fake top on the inside, pulling out a small, secured teapot. He twisted off the top of the pot and side top doubled as a cup which he handed to the Leader. He then pressed a button on the handle and there was the sound of a bubbling deep inside of the pot and steam poured out of the top.

"It's black. Is that alright?" Five offered and One nodded, not even phased by the fact that the teapot came out of the male's hat. The liquid was poured into the cup as One began. "It's the Jabberwock. He lost his head after we received word that the March Hare and the White Queen eloped. The two disappeared with no word, save leaving a letter with my messenger- My Joker, more correctly, but he doesn't much joke these days. Nobody jokes in these days. Soon after the letter arrived there were warnings of Wockyworks attacking the surrounding areas. Perhaps a retaliation about the news, we suppose."

Now Two chimed in, "I don't suppose. Wockyworks didn't cause what happened in the Diamond Kingdom, so there is much more amiss." Now Eight volunteered, "We heard about that. The Old Man old us." One raised a quizzical brow before Five quietly murmured, "I could put a lump of sugar into your tea, but I only have two." He showed his sugar cube cufflinks and One dismissed it, "This is fine. Thank you." He sipped the tea and Six looked to Five, "Nine and Seven got married?" The Nine at his side suddenly allowed his optics to widen as he suddenly realized that was what he meant.

"Yeah… They left the letter, but he didn't even tell me. I mean, I am his best friend…" He bit his lip, looking promptly disturbed by everything. "He was just gone and a few days later the letter came… You know what the Jabberwock thought about Nine." Nine certainly didn't, and now knowing what he did he could only fear the worst. "The Diamond Kingdom fiasco adds with this perfectly." One interrupted to Two matter-of-factly before looking to Six, "Tell me, Six, has anyone told you of the Wonderland Sculptor?" Six shook his head and quietly asked, "Who is he?"

"Not a he, but an object. The Wonderland Sculptor was a staff that was found long ago when this land was discovered. Though it does not work on all of Wonderland, we do not believe. Regardless, a merchant lived here on this land and recklessly used the staff to bend the land to his will, then sold what he created to distant lands through openings he created. Portals, if you will. We found out about his behavior and claimed this land when I was still a Stitchpup, claiming the staff for us… But the staff was too powerful and was broken into sections. One for each of the four kingdoms that was created here."

He glanced back somewhere towards the wall, "Ours is in the treasury. As long as it is here it cannot be used by others, which protects us. For this staff, when used, can trigger the land to be shifted for the worst as well as the better. This is the only thing that could have edited the world like it did… And unfortunately the final part of the staff was inside of the Jabberwock- The larger Machine. Naturally the current Jabberwock now has access to it…" Now Two explained, "The Jabberwock was made with the staff as a conductor. While it helped keep it alive it also kept the staff hidden."

Six interrupted the explanation, "You never mentioned it last time." Surprisingly it was Eight who explained, "It's not one of those things that's public knowledge." The striped male looked back and the zippered male was confused at the solution. Though One spoke, "You are correct. You still are my Guard?" Eight gave a nod, "You got it Boss." One hummed before murmuring, "Then you may be needed… We are at a loss. The Jabberwock has lost his head, he has obviously somehow gotten the staff piece from the Diamond Kingdom and used it to destroy the kingdom. We have obvious reason to believe the White Kingdom is next."

"Because of me…" Nine murmured before correcting, "Or March Hare me and the White Queen. Who's watching the White Kingdom now." Two chimed in as he opened the curtains to the small bed again, "Her brother, the White King, though he… Seven makes many of the royal decisions. Her brother usually doesn't do as much… Which leaves the Kingdom open for attack." Now One added in, "Which is why I sent Eight with a portion of my guards. I normally would not get involved, but if he gets anymore control then my kingdom can be at stake." He pointed out firmly before downing more of his tea.

Six nodded slowly, "So… So you want me to go and stop the Jabberwock or check on the White Kingdom?" He offered quietly and suddenly Nine spoke, "Six, wait, this could be dangerous." He offered to remind him and Six nodded, "I know…" He looked to him, "But you don't have to come. Two can take you home now." He looked to Eight, "You too." They sat there for a few seconds before Five spoke, "I'm going with you." He started to seal the teapot and put it back into his hat. "We're going to the White Kingdom to check in. The Messenger never returned with word, Eight never came back, Nine's gone…"

In a way the one eyed male seemed exasperated and chuckled a little in a forced and anxious way, "I guess it's just down to the two of us." He offered and secured himself, crossing over to Six and smiling to him still. Six smiled back, "Thank you, Five." Right after this Nine suddenly blurted out, "This is insane! All of this is happening and I'm just… Gone!" He pointed out in frustration. Even though they suggested he had married Seven, who he still had feelings for, he couldn't help but feel angry. It was hard to forgive himself after the Machine Incident from his foolish decisions, but this was hard to bear.

"Well _I'm_ not gone." He pointed out in frustration, "Six, Five, I'm going with you both. I'm not the March Hare, but I can be." Eight smirked and added in, "Nine, he's off slacking somewhere with Seven. Do you really want that comparison?" Nine gave him a flat look before suddenly there was a new, small voice as the Knave entered, "Dinner's done!" He announced eagerly before running off. From what Six saw he wasn't actually clothed like a 'Knave' anymore. His clothes look almost like One's clothes instead, but were in a soft blue color. One immediately stood, "Let us head to dinner. You can tell us of your journey."

He started down the steps while Two scooped the small Stitchpup into his arms before heading out. Six, Nine, Five, and Eight followed as well into the regal dining room. One sat at the head of the table, naturally, and took the princess into his arms as the others were seated. Six sat between Five and Nine at the table and looked to Eight who sat across from him. He noticed that the Guard hadn't mentioned what his own decision was. Part of him wanted to ask, but didn't, and instead waited for a cue. He was drug out by the Knave crossing over to stare at Eight.

The Guard raised his brow and the Knave suddenly asked, "Where are your clothes?" Eight stared back silently before finally responding, "I grew too big for them." He gave a slight bit of a smile and reached out before patting the young male's head, "Don't eat the mushrooms, kid." The Knave smiled wider, "I know that! They don't taste good too." Two chuckled a little before calling over, "Come now, Twone. Sit down and let them rest." The small Stitchpup hurried over to sit down on his own chair. The servers started to rush in and began to set the table with a variety of dishes.

It felt soothing to be able to smell cooked food again. It felt like an eternity since he was last seated at a table and Six felt a bubbly eagerness build in his chest. Nine volunteered to tell the story of how they got here to One and Two, embellishing the details as Five listened in eagerly. Six and Eight both stayed silent. As a plate was set before Eight he furrowed his brows at the contents before looking upwards questioningly. Doing so he unintentionally caught Six staring at him. The mismatched pair of optics dropped immediately to his own plate. The Guard gave him a slightly suspicious look before looking to Two.

"So, uh… What is this?" He asked and the Inventor smiled, "Carrot soup. Don't worry, it's just the first course." The bright color was a little striking. Part of Eight was afraid to try the first course period. "…Alright." He mumbled before looking away only to catch Six staring at him again. He raised a brow questioningly, but Six now looked to Nine who was laughing beside him at something Five said, who was telling stories about him and the March Hare. Eight shrugged it off and leaned down before tasting the soup. It actually wasn't too bad, even if it suddenly vanishing from his mouth was a strange sensation.

"She's awake." One suddenly announced as he looked to the bundle in his arms. The tiny Stitchpup was looking at the King with wide optics. "Hello there, little princess." Two leaned over the table before smiling happily to the little one, "Good evening! Who's finally joined us?" He reached out and gently pet her cheek with his hand. The Knave leaned forward to see her happily, smiling as well. "Hi, Baby!" Six smiled at the scene, glad to see the sweet scene and looking to Five, "I'm glad to be back. Even if all of this is going on."

Five smiled back to him, "I'm glad too. You too, Nine, and Eight." He looked down at his tea cup before admitting, "Maybe since you're all here we could just try to convince the Jabberwock to stop… Child, I mean." Six nodded slowly before looking down as another plate was set down by the servers. This time it was the same orange, but was a thicker mixture and was lumpy. "So what's this?" Eight questioned, scrutinizing it again, and Two looked over. "That's just Carrot Risotto. It's very good, I assure you." The Guard looked skeptical, "More carrot?" Two got an amused look, "I have a soft spot for it."

Now Five spoke, "Two, do you think that Child-." Suddenly One interrupted, "I don't want that name spoken at my dinner table." He commanded and Five paused with a sputter, "I, umm, sorry… Two, do you think that the Jabberwock might stop if we talk to him." The White Rabbit paused. Doubt was on his face, but he didn't want to speak it, "I suppose there's always a chance. I certainly don't think anyone has so it is worth a try." Nine now chimed in, "If… If the Jabberwock is the Fabrication Machine then I don't think talking will stop it, or him."

"Fabrication Machine?" Two curiously asked and tilted his head, "You mean the last Jabberwock?" Nine was now confused and Six nodded, "The Fabrication Machine is our version of the Jabberwock. It's shut down now too." The zippered male was obviously growing more disturbed when Eight suddenly broke the silence. "Alright, outside." He suddenly spoke across the table and the zippered and striped Stitchpunks stared. "What?" Nine asked in confusion and Eight clarified, "Not you, Six. We need to have a talk. Come on." With that he stood and started towards a random door.

He passed through and was in another hallway. Six took a few moments, but finally made it out beside him, "Eight…" He began softly and Eight raised his hand, "What's going on?" He asked insistently, "You've been staring at me over the table for all of dinner, looking at me like you don't even know who I am." He seemed genuinely confused and Six looked down and clutched his key. "Don't do that. You only do that when you're upset about something or worried about something. I'm not doing anything to you." Six glanced back to the Guard before lowering his hands to his sides.

"Eight, I want you to stay." He simply stated. "Stay and travel with Five, and Nine, and I. We need you." Eight was slightly taken aback by the final comment, "What?" Yet Six grew more desperate, "We _need_ you. We wouldn't have gotten this far without you." The Guard didn't know what to say and looked away, "Six…" He watched as Six's face wavered a bit. "You could've made it through here fine without me. There's already a guy who looks just like me waiting for you all over in the White Kingdom." Six's face fell completely and he gave a saddened look to the larger male.

"Don't give me that look." Eight insisted, not liking the guilt that wanted to nudge at him. Six couldn't help but try a final time, "But I do need you. I'll… I can get you anything." Eight was even more confused and the Artist explained, "This place- You see how amazing this place is. If you do this then you'll get anything you want, I'll get you anything you want." He was trying to bribe the larger and Eight rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Please, Eight." Finally he gave and mumbled, "Fine." Six nearly continued pleading before halting, "You… Really?"

"You're not going to stop until I ask, right?" Eight pointed out and Six felt a green light settle on his cheeks, "I… I just…" Eight stopped him again, "I'll go with you until we find the other me. Alright?" The smaller smiled a bit and nodded quickly. "Okay. Come on." He insisted, beckoning the small Stitchpunk with him, "We probably have more carrot stuff waiting for us…"

* * *

 **Mable: So I finally completed one of my main goals; I somehow worked in pink Pups somewhere into something! Anyway, the next chapter will be posted soon, I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	5. Starting on the Quest

**Mable: The inability to end this chapter and computer trouble is what postponed it six or seven hours, but at least I managed to get it under control! Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Five: Starting on the Quest_

Morning came too quickly for Six. He awoke still tired and nearly tucked himself further under the thick covers of the bed. Last night he had fallen asleep so quickly that he hadn't really thought about the fact that they had made him his own room. The walls were a pale blue with navy pinstripes. A balcony was cut off by a set of glass doors and thick curtains that matched the pinstripes. On the other side rested a writer's desk and an easel set with a new canvas. The bed was large and plush, a pale cream color with soft blue sheets underneath. The entire arrangement was very comfortable, but already the loneliness set in.

Six felt a bit disturbed not to be sharing a room with Nine and Eight, which he ignored last night when he nearly fainted in exhaustion. Slowly he sat upwards into a sitting position and peered around the room, noticing cracks of sunlight coming through from outside. _"We probably should leave soon… We need to get to the White Kingdom."_ He reminded himself mentally, seeing the task as the next step to whatever was coming. Six climbed out of bed sluggishly and swung his legs over the edge before hopping down. He then drug himself to the door before opening it and looking out.

Almost immediately Six noticed the tray sitting out before the door. On it was a glass of some sort of pink liquid, a plate with some sort of wrap on it, Six wanted to call it a crepe, and a stack of folded clothing. On the top of the clothing was a piece of paper and Six quickly read it. " _Good morning, Six. One's giving Nine and Eight a tour of the castle so don't rush down. I managed to find these clothes that I think will fit you. Enjoy breakfast and I'll see you later! –Five."_ The Artist smiled at the note and lifted the stack of clothing, smiling eagerly before shutting the door so that he could get dressed.

The clothing looked a bit different than his last outfit in Wonderland. It was a one piece, baby blue piece of clothing with short sleeves and shorts that, to his disappointment, seemed a little too loose like last time. Six didn't know why this kept happening with his Wonderland clothing, but at least this time it was a little less noticeable. On the shorts were a pair of pockets that were shaped like rectangles and embroidered like playing cards; one being a joker card and the other being a six of hearts. Six noticed that the stitching on the six of hearts was different and looked newer, almost like someone just applied it.

On the section of the top there was a patch that looked like a pocket watch, also pointing at six o'clock. Now Six was almost certain about it; the outfit was tailored towards his preferences. The second piece of clothing was a type of over shirt and cape. It had short sleeves but hung down to his hips and grew loose like a cape. It was a white with black stripes along its body, almost matching Six's own pattern. All in all he liked the clothing but could only hope that Eight and Nine had something equally odd on. He then brought the tray in and quickly enjoyed his breakfast.

Once finished he headed down into the castle and began to search, soon learning from the maid that they were in the courtyard. Once outside he soon found himself being called for, "Six!" Nine called over with an eager wave and a friendly smile. To Six's horror Nine was still unclothed and thus didn't look embarrassing at all. One and Two were both with them and looked normal. Then there was Eight who Six noticed as he wandered over was wearing a little bit of clothing. He wore some red armor that probably belonged to the Captain of Hearts.

Underneath that was a bright, orange vest. Six stared at it until Eight noticed him and looked over the smaller. "They got you too?" He offered and Six gave a small smile at the other's comment, "Sort of. It's… A little bright?" He tried and Eight remarked, "First I ate their carrots and now I am their carrot." Six giggled a little bit at the comment and Nine chimed in, "So are we all ready to go?" He offered and the Guard raised a brow at him, "The two of us are. They didn't offer you anything to put on?" The zippered male brushed it off and explained.

"Five said we'd stop by the March Hare's house on the way. Were the same so his clothes should fit… Or at least be something I like." Eight seemed unamused by the last comment and the king approached with the White Rabbit. "It's a shame we can't have you with us longer, but once this event is taken care of then you are all welcome here. I wish the best of luck to you four." He glancing around, "Speaking of which, where is Five?" He hummed and the White Rabbit suddenly seemed a little uncomfortable. He paused briefly, looking away anxiously, and then spoke, "One… That would be the five of us."

One blinked before looking to him, "I'm sorry?" The White Rabbit gave him a guilty look and One's optics widened. "Two, you can't possibly be considering- You know about the danger!" He reminded and Two argued, "If they can go, I can go. One, this is very important, lives could be in danger, and all I need to do is my job; delivering messages. Once we get to the White Kingdom we're safe, it's the trip there that we have to be worried about." The King of Hearts was firm, "Absolutely not! Not this soon after the birth, do you have any idea how much strength you may have lost?!"

There was obvious worry in his voice but Two still insisted, "I'll be fine. I have no doubt that Nine, Eight, Six, and Five are more than enough protection against anything out there. Well just need to lay low and travel quickly. You'll need to stay here, not just for the kingdom but for our Pups as well." The Leader wanted to argue, it was obvious in his slanted optics, but instead he abruptly started to cave. "I… Two…" Two smiled reassuringly, "I've survived much worse, One." A silence befell the two before One caved, "Fine… Just, stay safe." With that he took the shorter's hand affectionately before leaning in to kiss him.

The three Stitchpunks stared. It wasn't that they hadn't noticed the event at dinner, it was just that it was still a shock. Six already was surely convinced that this One and Two were a couple, Eight didn't realize it but had suspicions about their One and Two, and Nine was oblivious on both sides. One and Two certainly weren't hiding as they kissed before pulling apart slowly. The Inventor chuckled before looking to the three, "Now then, why don't you three find Five while I tell the Stitchpups goodbye? He shouldn't be too far. Probably in his workshop." He looked to One who nodded and went to guide the three.

Five's workshop looked almost like the old workshop, but was aimed entirely towards hatting. A row of mannequins rested in the back and rolls of fabric fitted into some cubbies on the wall. Five was currently working on a hat when One cleared his voice. "Five, it's time to leave." Five looked back in surprise before nodding and grabbing his crossbow and quiver. The Leader headed off while Nine chimed in pleasantly, "My friend has one of those." Five looked back at the crossbow before setting it on his back, "Is he the other me?" He asked playfully and Nine chuckled as well, "Of course."

Five set the hat he was working on atop his quiver and followed the three out, "So what is the other me like? Does he make hats too?" Nine sort of shrugged, "Well… He likes to make a lot of things with Two, but I've never seen him make hats. Though that's probably because he doesn't have the fabric to do it." Five stared at him and Nine corrected, "I mean he literally doesn't have the fabric, not that he doesn't have the nerve." The one eyed male now seemed amused, "I could give you some fabric that you can take back… Not now, I don't want you to lug it around the entire time."

The rest of the trip was quiet as they made their way to the front gates. There they met with Two and the group started to say their goodbyes before heading out on the road. Once more they took to the path. For some reason Two refused taking a carriage, insisting it would draw too much attention, and as they headed down the road he quipped, "The Village isn't too far. We'll stop there and be on our way." Apparently 'too far' was still a couple of hours and by time they reached the town where Two alternate home and Five's home remained, which meant that they were already ready to rest.

"I just need to grab a few things." Two quipped before looking to Eight, "Would you mind terribly carrying a bag? I know you have a knife already, but it won't be much." Naturally Eight was helpful towards any Two and nodded before following him into his house. Before the others could follow, Five stopped Nine, "Umm… Could you come with me? I'm going to stop at your- At the March Hare's house." He looked embarrassed and Nine smiled a bit, "Sure. Come on, Six." He beckoned the striped male who nodded and followed.

The March Hare's house was unlocked and the Mad Hatter led them inside. The walls, the furniture, everything was colored green and the only differences were the shades of the color. Yet part of Nine found that he really liked the simple color scheme and looked around before hearing a squeaking noise. Suddenly down the stairs came yet another Dormouse which quickly came to Nine's feet and nuzzled against him. Five smiled at the scene, "That's your pet… In a way." Nine crouched down and pet over the furry creature's head, "He or she is very sweet." He pointed out and Five continued.

"She. I should probably make sure her food dispenser if full for while we're gone." He kneeled down to lift the mouse who was slightly heavy, "We'll go check on your babies too, won't we?" He nuzzled against the mouse and Nine added in, "You know, the Aged Man has a Dormouse too. Are they common?" Five nodded eagerly, "They are. Dodos used to be the most popular, but they started to become rarer. Usually now only royalty and such have them, and they use them for transport. Dormice are pretty special, though. Each one has a different personality." He then started off, "Come on, Dormy."

Nine's brows furrowed and he looked to Six who remarked, "Watch, next time we see the Aged Man there will never have been a mouse." He smiled in amusement at the other's confusion before looking around. He noticed a photo on the wall and peered in at it before calling over, "Nine, come see. This is the March Hare." Nine hurried over and looked at the photo. There was a group of five Stitchpunks in the picture who all looked exactly the same, and exactly like him. Small details were different, but they all were the same tan with identical rabbit ears. "There's a lot of us… But which ones me?"

Six looked to the picture intensely before pointing out one, "I think the one with the hat is probably you. He always wore a hat so you couldn't see the ears." Nine looked in deeper, seeing the smile on the March Hare's face, and felt a mix of curiosity and confusion. Suddenly Five hurried down the stairs once more, "Here you are, Nine." The zippered male glanced over before soon turning his entire attention, "What?" The one eyed male smiled and handed over a whit dress shirt, a pair of sage colored pants, and a green cloak with six golden buttons on the front.

"I don't think Nine wore this much, but it should definitely fit you." Nine looked over the stack before smiling thankfully, "Thanks. I just need a second…" He awkwardly slid on the pants before putting on and buttoning the shirt, followed by the cloak, which he fastened at the top two buttons. "This look fine?" He offered, holding out his arms and presenting himself to Six and Five. Both smiled and Six chimed in,  
"You look amazing! It looks… Looks good!" He complimented as he circled around his friend before mentally remarking, _"Looks better than mine, more like."_

Five reached back and pulled the hat off of his bag from earlier. It was dark purple color and had a golden hat pin sticking out of it. "Here… I know it doesn't match, but I want you to have it." The Healer said with a sincere smile and handed it over. Nine took it hesitantly; this was different from borrowing clothes from his counterpart, this was an actual gift he was accepting. "Five, I couldn't accept this. It's amazing… Too amazing to be given as gift." Five smiled wide, "I insist, please. I _want_ you to have it." The younger smiled a bit before placing the hat on his head. It fit perfectly as though it was made for him.

"Now let's go check on Eight and Two." Five voiced, "Maybe if we're lucky we can stop by the tea shop on the way out." They agreed and stepped out to find Two and Eight. They started out of town before heading into the small tea shop nearby. Eight was growing antsy as they stepped inside, "You know, we do need to get going. It's got to already be noon." He pointed out as Two and Five headed inside, Nine following them as he spoke back to Eight, "It's just a short stop. Only two or five minutes tops." With that he entered inside and Eight was unamused, "Yeah, it's not like the White Kingdom is going anywhere."

It was a mix of a cryptic joke and a clear reminder, but surprisingly enough Six gave a small laugh. Eight didn't expect the reaction and looked to the striped male before smiling a little in return. "Are you coming inside too?" the Artist offered the Guard who shook his head, "Not with that much glass and china out in the open. I'll probably knock something over." Strangely enough Six then offered, "I could… Stay out here with you." Eight suddenly wondered if Six was being so nice because he agreed to stay and was afraid he would leave. It that was the case it didn't actually bother him and he simply waved it off casually.

"Don't worry about it. Take the chance and go grab something as long as we have Two to talk people out of their stuff." Six nodded and hurried inside the tea shop after the group. It was like a maze of glass shelves filled to the brim with porcelain teapots, sweets, packets of tea, and utensils that Six couldn't even recognize. He stared in awe at the surroundings and went to find the others. He found Five first and was surprised to see the one eyed male chatting with someone else, a female in a red velvet hat. Immediately familiarity filled his mind and he stepped back to leave them alone.

Instead he headed towards the back where Two was showing Nine different packets. "Now these are instant scones." He lifted a packet, "You see, one can't have tea without scones, so these can be made with minimal effort. Water, a fire, a good staple for us to purchase!" At this the zippered male grabbed a few of the packets and Two turned towards some other items. It seemed they were distracted too and with an exhale Six turned towards the shelves. " _It's not much different than last time. I should just enjoy this quiet time… Next thing I know it'll be crazy again."_

He smiled at this thought and turned to a shelf of teacups. He looked through the lovely bits of porcelain eagerly until something strange occurred. One of them started to slide away from him slowly. At first he wasn't sure if he was seeing correctly, as his vision seemed to suddenly be strangely shaky. He passed it off as from his current headache and began to reach forward a little. The cup continued to slide away from him until it rested on the edge of the shelf. Six gasped and sprung forward, trying to catch the cup, but received a rude awakening as the porcelain cup suddenly flew back towards him.

He let out a cry and raised his arms in defense, not lowering them until he heard it crash against the floor before him. When he uncovered his optics he could see Two and Nine staring and sputtered, "I… I need to get out of here." He started to hurry towards the door while Nine called after him, "Six!" The Artist stumbled outside, head pounding even more in the bright light, and leaned against the wall beside Eight who was staring. "What happened in there?" Before the striped one could answer Nine rushed outside, "Six, wait!" He faced the smaller who attempted to slide behind the Guard.

"Six, we saw what happened, so we don't think you did it." He pointed out quickly, "But what _did_ happen? It just- It flung itself at you!" He was seeking a logical explanation that Six couldn't give. The shorter shrugged, "I'm not even sure." He rubbed his temples, "My head hurts…" Eight seemed to be growing uncomfortable and huffed before looking towards the door where Two was stepping out. The Inventor insisted, "It's fine. I explained what happened to the shopkeeper and smoothed everything over." Six didn't look relieved and Eight straightened, "Where's Five? We need to get a move on."

Two hesitated before chuckling, "He'll be here shortly. He's saying goodbye to a friend." Eight didn't answer but suddenly strode into the shop and appeared a few moments later, guiding Five in front of him. The one eyed male looked flustered and both Nine and Six could only assume that the Guard had literally dragged him out. He smiled in amusement and Two now spoke, "Since we're together once more, let's head out! The day is still before us and I'm certain we can make excellent time! The road is ahead!"

Indeed the road was ahead, as Six and his companions soon realized, but that was nearly all that it was. A few hours on a stretch of grassy fields and hills that occasionally were topped with beds of towering flowers followed. Finally the group decided to stop and make a brief camp so that they could rest. Even though they made good progress, both Six and Nine looked disappointed. "Shouldn't we have reached the White Kingdom by now?" Six asked in confusion and Five seemed hesitant, "Well… Maybe, but the landscape just must have changed a little." He then got a smile like he was joking.

Nine now spoke from where he was trying to make a fire from flower stems, "I don't think that can happen, Five." Now they were interrupted. "Oh no, it didn't." Two insisted, "It's the same trip as always, Time is just very fickle at 'times'." He joked before lighting a match to help Nine. The zippered male still persisted, "But that doesn't really make sense." Two waved it off simply and the zippered male looked to Six who shrugged a bit before looking down at the petals before him; they had been given to him so that he could make ink out of them, but he didn't even know where to begin.

Eight stood nearby looking relatively bored. It was relieving not to have to deal with any Beasts at the moment, but at the same time he was feeling urges. Unable to stand it much longer he stood and stretched, "I'm going for a walk." The other four looked to him in concern. "Alright. Do you need to take the Lightstaff?" Nine offered the staff and Eight waved it off, "I'll live. It's not like there's anywhere I can get out of the sun." The Mad Hatter winced at the wording, noticing the heat of the sun, and suddenly pulled off his hat, "I think I need a cup of tea."

The larger continued off, "I'll be back before you're even finished doing that." Then he disappeared into a larger patch of flowers, Six looking after him in concern. Not for him being apart, of course, but he actually had a suspicion that the Guard was doing more than just exploring. "He'll be back." Nine mumbled to the striped male before shaking his head and looking to Two and Five, "Eight has a bad habit that we have to deal with." It was at that point when the older nodded slowly, "That wouldn't be too far from our Eight." Six looked over in disbelief, "Really? Him too?"

Now Five spoke as he picked out a tea bag, "For a long while Eight was addicted to Worpknots." Nine and Six's heads both turned to face him. "What even are those?" Six asked in alarm and Five got an amused smile and decided to explain. "Worpknots are sap pockets found in Glass Cactuses. They can cause… Really strange effects. He got addicted when Two started growing them." Now Nine looked both amused and confused, "But if it's that strange then why are you growing it?" Five continued to explain while Two pulled out a tin of biscuits from his bag, "For alchemy reasons. Two makes potions using things he grows in the garden behind the castle."

Nine beamed with interest, "Alchemy? Really? Like what?" He scooted closer and listened intently as Two decided to explain. Six wasn't listening though. His mind was again focused back on Eight. Six himself didn't much care for the magnet habit, but kept his opinion of it unvoiced. He kept many of his opinions unvoiced. He noticed the biscuit tin and reached forward to take it, Two handing it over willingly before continuing to speak to the excited Nine. Six knew that with this he had a good enough excuse to go wander off and find the male. He stood quietly and headed off towards the flowers to find Eight.

None of the others decided to stop him. It didn't take long to actually find the Guard, but the Artist hadn't expected to find what he did. Eight was standing further away than expected, it took Six a few minutes to actually find him, lifting a heavy, wooden board off of the ground. "Eight?" Six asked quietly and Eight grunted in response before shoving, the thick, wooden board flipping over fully, revealing that it was, in fact, some sort of trap door. As the smaller approached he noticed the rusty hinges on the back and the opening in the ground that led into darkness.

"What are you doing here?" The larger asked and the smaller blinked, "I… I brought you some biscuits." He held out the tin, "Where does this go?" Eight shrugged, "I don't know. Just found it out of nowhere." He grabbed the tin and opened it, looking inside at the biscuits, "Maybe it's some sort of hiding place. It sounds like there's something going on over that way." He gestured off across the next mound of a hill and as Six listened closer he realized that he could hear dull music from some ways away.

He couldn't tell what it was and it was soon interrupted by Eight crunching on a crispy biscuit, releasing a soft hum of approval afterwards. Six looked back to him and smiled before looking down into the hole in the ground. It looked like some sort of small room underneath the ground. He could see wooden floor at least and kneeled down to peer in. Looking around he could see a few boxes, what looked like some old, covered furniture, and on the far side something large and glass that caught his optics.

"Sort of looks like someone was storing their things in here." He pointed out and looked back upwards to Eight who followed suite to crouch down on the opposite side, "Probably not much in there… Want to poke around through it?" The larger teased Six who surprisingly got a sneaky smile. "…Alright." Eight didn't call it out or anything and looked back towards where the camp was. "Should we run over and tell the others?" Oddly enough, Six suddenly found himself against the idea, "Umm… No, probably not. There's not really much here anyway, so we can do it ourselves."

Really Six wanted a little bit of one on one time with Eight, especially considering that they had become slight friends in the last two days. The fight from before was long forgotten in Six's optics and he wanted to enjoy this while he could. Once they returned home there was a chance that Eight would return to his old ways. The biscuit tin was set aside and the larger guard dropped himself heavily into the room. His feet hit the wooden floor with a loud thump and he glanced around at the surroundings. "Eh, not much down here." Six swung his legs over and hopped down, stumbling a bit and looking around as well.

The mismatched optics immediately went to the glass container in the back of the room. He started over and climbed over a stack of boxes. "There's something here." His foot went through the center of the box and he fell forward, catching himself against the glass with his hands before slowly continuing to slide down. Once he was on the floor he tugged his foot free and stood while Eight moved some boxes so he could get by. "It's a… Giant bottle?" Six asked and tilted his head in confusion as he saw the ropes running through the center and the wheel above it.

Then it suddenly dawned on him, "It's a lift! It's like the bucket lift!" He circled around the large bottle to find the way in as Eight squeezed through the stack of boxes, "Slow down, I'm coming!" He called after the smaller before following with a few strides. Six slipped through a barely visible opening and Eight followed, them all squeezing tightly in the glass bottle. "So you're really wanting to go down?" Eight offered with a raised brow and Six smiled and nodded in return. Eight followed by getting a slight smirk on his lips, a playful and amused one. "I think I like this new confidence you've got."

Six tried to smother the heat in his face and responded, "It's all coming back to me." The Guard started the use the ropes and lower them down through a thin tunnel that opened beneath it. Six turned to look out the glass wall as though to try and see something. His companion suddenly started to watch his back. He wasn't sure why Six was suddenly so willing to do this, but he was still bored and was willing as well. It was then that the tunnel opened to a large cavern and Six's mismatched optics widened, "Eight…. Eight, look!"

The dark cavern was large and it was almost impossible to see the bottom, but there was a ledge some ways below that was top with what alit the cavern. It almost looked like a city, with stalls and stands, large machinery twirling and moving while covered with strings of lights, basking the entire area in a warm, orange glow. Floating into the air were paper lamps that raised before collecting at the roof of the cavern, like bubbles collecting in the top of an underwater cave. "What is this?" Eight asked, slowing his movements and staring down.

There was actually wonder in his optics as he looked at the large spread that rested precariously above the black abyss below. "Another city?" Six shook his head, "No. I think it's…. Some sort of carnival?" He looked around, "But what is a carnival doing down here?" Eight seemed to suddenly get anxious and started to pant as he noticed the drop, "Yeah… I'm going to take us down so we can get out of this bottle. You sure about this?" Six stared down and the enticing display before answering honestly, "I'm positive."

* * *

 **Mable: So now Eight and Six are in an enormous cave heading down towards a random carnival. XD As weird as that seems… Well, I don't have any defense, so I'm just going to go with; I hope everyone enjoyed! The next chapter will be posted soon!**


	6. The Carnival in the Cave

**Mable: I never expected this to be the chapter to keep me stumped for so long. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Six: The Carnival in the Cave_

The Carnival wasn't anything like Six and Eight had imagined that it could possibly be. Once actually down to the proper level it looked even more grand and magical. The two stepped out of the bottle and followed a thin slope of rock to what looked like the back of the celebration. Far in the distance Six was sure he saw the entrance, but it was aimed the other way and led to what seemed to be another tunnel. That wasn't his main focus, however. The Artist was also eyeing the carnival itself with his mismatched optics wide in wonder. He pulled them away only to look back at Eight, "Come on!"

He encouraged with a growing smile, but Eight was hesitant as he stared down at the dark abyss below. "Why'd they put something like this done here? If this thing fell the whole place would go under." He pointed out and Six shrugged and looked around, "Maybe… It's easier than waiting until dark?..." He offered before suddenly murmuring, "Or maybe they're hiding from the Beasts." Eight scoffed a little and gave him a light push on the back to guide him further, "Yeah, partially right there, Stripes. Probably hiding because they don't want their king knowing what's going on. One's told me all about this sort of thing."

Six got a crooked smile and continued along, almost amused at how certain the larger male was. Either way they continued along to the back of the tents, Eight yanking one upwards and letting Six cross under, passing through what looked like supplies. Soon they were out onto the path leading through the carnival. Bright lights filled their optics and loud music blared over everything; Six felt like he should have been nervous, but instead he felt oddly enticed by everything. He began to dart back and forth across the path, looking at the stands and stalls while Eight wandered at his own pace.

Soon the Artist returned to the Guard's side with a revelation. "They use some sort of… Currency? It's not like the rest of Wonderland. They exchange with tokens." Eight raised a brow in interest, "Tokens?" He looked over to one of the nearby stands and noticed that a female Stitchpunk was exchanging a few token coins for some sort of meat on a stick. This meant that Six was right and the Guard tried to mentally examine how they could get these same tokens. It wasn't until they got over to a further stand that Eight got an idea. The machine was odd looking, like a small tower with a bell at the top.

Stitchpunks and animal-like Stitchpunks alike were watching as the most confident of them would step forward. They would raise a mallet and swing it downwards, triggering a rounded item to fling upwards on the pole, trying to hit the bell. The trouble was that as Stitchpunk after Stitchpunk tried they weren't hitting the top. However, getting to certain points seemed to still win those tokens, and Eight raised a brow. "I'm going to do that." He pointed out to the younger, nudging his shoulder to catch his attention. Six stared ahead at the contraption before murmuring, "I think it takes tokens to enter…"

But Eight's confidence was pouring out of every stitch in his body and he strode forward. "I got a plan." Six wasn't as certain as Eight but began to believe as the larger male strode over into the group. He pushed through a couple of the Stitchpunks. Not in an aggressive way, but in an almost haughty way, putting on the perfect show. "You think you're going to hit that bell?" He challenged the male wielding the mallet now, "I'll bet you a couple of those tokens that I can get higher on that bell than you can." The other male looked ruffled, literally as a bunch of multicolored feathers raised on his back, "You'll _bet_ me?"

"Yeah, I'll bet you. The winner gets the tokens they win on the pole _and_ the loser has to match it." Eight insisted with a smirk, "Unless you're scared." He got lucky finding a male who would accept the challenge, he just had to keep the cocky front. It also helped that purchasing tokens, however these other carnival goers did, seemed easy or cheap as they were throwing them around eagerly. "Alright! I'll accept that wager! Only twenty tokens, think you can pay that?" The smaller tried to replicate the cocky tone with his colorful tail feathers twitching in delight at the possibility of winning in front of everyone.

"I won't have to." Eight replied and Six inched into the crowd to watch. His optics were wide in anticipation as the peacock male grabbed the mallet, raising it relatively easily. He wasn't as big as Eight by far, but he was relatively strong as he seemed to be having an easy time with the mallet compared to the others. He raised it back slowly until the head was far behind him before glancing towards the small group around them. "Nervous?" Eight challenged in amusement and the peacock male retorted, "Not at all." He looked to a female nearby who must have been with him as she seemed to be watching him in idolization.

It was actually the same look Six was giving Eight. When the Artist realized this he felt the need to avert his mismatched optics. He heard the mallet hit the bottom of the pole and the soft dinging as it raised on the pole, stopping at the last quarter beneath the bell before falling once more. For a second Six was worried as it had been higher than most of the others, but one look at Eight's face reassured him. There was no fear in his optics and not an inch of concern. He knew he still had the upper hand and because of that Six knew that he had it under control as well. He found his smile inching on already.

Eight now took the mallet without a word after the challenger had accepted his tokens from the machine. He strode in front of the pole before raising the mallet high above his head. The speed he brought it down almost baffled Six and as it slammed into the contraption the bell was struck with an amazing force. It rung loudly and there were a few eager cheers from the small group. Six clapped loudly, his metal fingers clacking against one another eagerly. Eight smirked proudly and looked to the smaller challenger. "Pay up." He announced, almost in a threatening way and ignoring the pole which started to release tokens.

Six hurried over, pulling off his striped vest. He used it as a makeshift sack to catch the rest. Soon he had Eight's spoils dropped inside as well. Eight was looking very proud of themselves as they hurried away from the Machine. "How did you know they'd be willing to bet?!" Six asked in surprise, very curious in the larger male's methods. Eight chuckled a bit, "They're pretty predictable, really. When you've got a Stitchpunk whose trying to impress someone you just have to poke in the right spot and they cave." He was almost giddy with thrill and the Artist was very impressed.

The first place that went to was to one of the stands. It was decorated with a slew of lights that wrapped through the stand's foundation and alit a strange tree in the back. It was only about Six's height and had few leaves. Instead its branches stretched far out with holes at the end of them that leaked a brown sap. The small male slipped in closer to the counter and looked over the manager of the stand approached the tree. It was yet another male, though this one was a bit older and a bit bigger than the challenger to Eight. In fact, this male looked more reasonable to challenge Eight.

He attached a wispy net on the end of one of the branches while heading behind the tree to where a bellow looking object was attached. As he stepped on it the branches started to release bubbles of the thick sap. They somehow collected in the net without popping and soon the net was toted over to a large vat of bubbling, yellowish liquid. Six could hear the creaking as Eight leaned on the counter beside him and looked over, noticing that the Guard wasn't exactly as enthusiastic as he was. "So what are we doing now? You know, there's rides and things. We could go on one of those."

Six suddenly felt a little embarrassed making Eight stay here, "S-Sure. Let me just…" He glanced over towards the vat as he heard a sizzling noise and realized that the stall owner dipped the net into the vat. His mismatched optics widened in curiosity before the bag was lifted, revealing that the bubbles were somehow intact, though now were firm. The stall owner filled a small bag with some of the bubbles before passing it to the customer who then dropped some tokens on the counter. "Come again!" The owner offered happily before looking over in Six and Eight's direction, "Can I help you two?"

"Yes!" Six beamed and inched forward, beaming as he did so, "The bubbles, how do you get them to harden like that?!" The male chuckled, "It's the magic of Seslow Tree, my friend! You see, here's the trick." He leaned on the counter to explain, preparing to sell his wears directly to Six. Eight felt a slight annoyance in his chest. It wasn't exactly that he was trying to get their tokens, obviously he was but that didn't exactly bother the Guard, but how close he suddenly decided to get. Eight looked to Six and was even more annoyed; the smaller seemed almost fully entranced already, buying into it.

"You see, normal sap gets looser when heated and grows thicker when cooled, but not Seslow Sap. The Seslow Tree grows in the coldest reaches of the South and there their sap runs like water. Here I've got my own ideas." He reached into the net and pulled out one of the bubbles before showing it to the younger. The bubbles are so thin that when they hit the heat they harden like candy, except a little less solid." Six reached out and poked at the bubble; he thought it would feel like glass, but instead it was actually more of a crispiness. "Then what do you do with them?"

"Then you eat them." The seller insisted, "Try this one, it's on the house!" He handed it over and Six bit into it, the crispy sap leaving a strange sensation in his mouth, as though it was simply paper that tasted extremely sugary. Much sweeter than any tart or cake. "Oh, it's good!" Six insisted, trying to salvage the rest of the bubble, it started to cave after he took his bite, and offered it to Eight. "Here, try it!" The Guard was reluctant and decided to wave it off, "Yeah, I'm not in the mood for bubbles." Six didn't seem to notice his tone and finished his snack before beaming to the Guard.

"Could we buy some?" Eight winced and immediately the stall keeper shoved himself into the conversation, "They're pretty cheap. The medium bag is only seven tokens." The larger growled a bit and the other male seemed to catch the aggression with amusement. Six, however, seemed much too eager and Eight rolled his optics before giving in. "Fine. Give him the tokens." Six eagerly turned towards the stand and handed it over, Eight noticing how the stand owner suddenly cut the talking once he knew that they were willing to buy. The man quickly filled a medium bag and handed it over.

"Thanks for your patronage!" He thanked before turning to more Stitchpunks approaching and Six eagerly began to nibble at the fried bubbles. "Come on, let's go find something to actually _do_ now." They continued off away from the stand, but unfortunately for Eight he couldn't get them away fast enough. "Look!" Six beamed, "That's the Sheep! That lady over there, she used to live in the White Kingdom! I wonder what she's doing here." Eight flinched and knew that this meant that, most likely, Six wanted to go over and see her, thus slowing them further.

"Hello, Mrs. Sheep!" Six greeted happily as he approached the stall. The woman was sitting in an antique rocking chair, a large puff of pink wool wrapped around her frame which she was wrapping on a strange spindle. She looked upwards and squinted at him before murmuring, "Oh yes, I remember you. Weren't you that fellow who painted the roses the wrong color?" Six's brows furrowed, "Umm… No, I'm Six. I could row?" Offers and suddenly the old woman nodded, "Ah, yes! I recognize you now, Dear." She nodded before growing more firm, "Now are you just going to stand there or buy something?"

He smiled in amusement, being familiar with the old woman's frequently bitter tone and looking to her work. She finished rolling the wool and then would place the spindle before her to line it with the others. "Are… You selling pink wool?" He leaned forward to grab one of them and a sugary smell became apparent. Mrs. Sheep swatted his hand away, "Are you mad? What person would sell their own wool? I sell these." She bent over and lifted a box onto her lap before opening it, revealing a large display of strange cylinders ranging from long and wide to short and skinny, "I sell fireworks."

"Fireworks?" Eight suddenly leaned forward eagerly as though he knew what they were. Six looked to him at his eagerness and questioning as Mrs. Sheep nodded. "Good fireworks. You haven't seen fireworks like these since the Indigo Kingdom banned them." She placed them onto the counter and went through them, "Rocking Horse Fly Poppers, Cloud Bursts, Firecrackers, Pyramid Fountains; I have everything you can ever want and I only sell it here." Suddenly Eight got a smirk on his face, "Cause it's illegal, right? This whole carnival is just a cover for underground activity."

Six looked over in alarm and Mrs. Sheep scoffed a little, "You go around saying that and somehow the white guard will get involved. Now are you going to buy are not?!" The Guard casually took the tokens from Six who now held his bubble bag with both hands and watched. He wasn't sure how Eight knew all of this, but it was interesting to learn through him. "Yeah, we'll take a couple." He looked into the box. "How much?" Mrs. Sheep opened a book on the counter and pointed to the numbers arranged in it. The Guard looked in and inhaled at the prices.

"…Yeah, we're still going to buy." He murmured before starting to pour the tokens out on the counter and handing the over shirt back to Six who slipped it on. After a careful exchanged that took long enough that Six actually looked bored, the event ended with Eight getting five crackers and a much larger firework that he hid inside of his front. Six watched as he opened himself and Eight glanced over to him questioningly. Six fought a blush and looked away before the larger pointed out the fire crackers. "Put those in your pockets, alright? I'm not risking putting any of this stuff in Two's bag."

The striped male nodded obediently and put the firecrackers in his pockets before looking back to the stand. He almost did a double take as he realized that the Sheep was now missing. Eight started regardless, "Thanks. We'll keep-…" He looked ahead and just stared, "… So did she walk off or just vanish?" Six shrugged before remarking with, "Vanish?" Eight exhaled and stepped away from the stand, "I supposed as much." He looked down at the remaining tokens in his hand, "Problem is now that we're running pretty low."

"What are we going to do?" Six asked innocently and was rewarded with the rest of the tokens dropped into his free hand. "You're going to distract yourself with the rest of these and _I'm_ going to get some more. It's probably been long enough to head back to the strength machine." He didn't seem concerned, but the smaller got a frown, "I don't think we should split up." He boldly corrected, "I'll come with you and stay in the back." He was blocked as Eight raised a hand, "No way. She recognized you as someone else. The last thing we need is someone recognizing you from before."

"Are you sure?" Six asked in exasperation. "I'm sure." Eight responded as he headed off, calling back towards Six, "I'm big, but I don't stand out nearly as much as you do." There was a chuckle following it so Six assumed it was a joke at his expense. Shaking his head he started off down the row of stands towards some other stalls and rides. The game stalls were all packed in with Stitchpunks playing and attempting to win the games and prizes. A few of them were shooting games with odd sorts of crossbows that seemed to be tethered to the stall. Six had a fleeting wonder if Five would have been terribly good at the game.

Now he wished that Nine, Five, and Two would have come. The point was to be alone with Eight to bond, but all that had happened was they spent a few minutes together before the larger took off on his own. One of the stands suddenly cleared out as a group that was together stepped away and Six hurried over before someone else would take the place. "Umm, excuse me?" He offered quickly to the female running the stall, feeling a strange bit of anxiousness and yet self-reliance in approaching someone alone. "I… What's the game?" He asked curiously, looking upwards at a dome that hung over the stall.

The dome was filled with multiple flying insects. Bread and butter flies, Rocking Horse flies, strange flying insects that looked like they were of bolts and glass flew around rampant inside of the dome. Oddly they seemed to not want to fly down and out of the dome. The female running the stand was young, perhaps Six's age, and had light tan skin with a pale, white face and flowing sleeves of fabric. "You take these nets and catch the insects." Her voice was almost whisper-like as she leaned down and lifted a long, thin pole with a tiny net on the end. "The Bread and Butter flies are worth the most points."

"How much to play?" Six eagerly asked and the female murmured a, "Three tokens per game." Six looked at the tokens that were remaining in his hand and noticed that there were only five left. Now he was disturbed that Eight had spent so much on fireworks; fireworks that he didn't actually know how they worked. It would be enough for one game, though. "Here," he slid the three over and set his bag of fried bubbles to the side, "I'm starting to run low… Well, we are, my friend and I were collecting tokens… Well, no, I wouldn't call him a friend. Though I don't mind him being a friend, I just-."

He cut off and took the offered net, "Thank you." She smiled back and moved out of the way for him to start reaching the net upwards. "If you need tokens…" She started as she watched him fish, "but can't purchase them, you could always preform for them… Stitchpunks, especially ones here, will pay tokens for entertainment. They pay tips." Six paused in his net moving before looking over, "Really?" He didn't realize that this would be an option. The female smiled a little more before pointing towards the dome, "The timer." She pointed out and Six got an embarrassed smile and went back to work.

The insects were quick and smart. As much as Six tried to scoop for the Bread and Butter Flies they seemed to always fly too high. The Bolt Flies were the same, darting out so that the net couldn't scoop them, and Six's luck only changed when he managed to scoop a Rocking Horse Fly and soon followed by scooping another, and then finally a third. The game soon ended and he brought down his net so that the points could be tallied. "Rocking Horse Flies tally at three points apiece. Nine points." The female bent down and lifted a small box with a bunch of small, plush toys in it. "Choose any one you like."

Six found that, surprisingly enough, he wasn't as disappointed as he expected to be getting only a tiny one. He picked through before finding one that looked like a purple-pink Hedgehog, smiling as he noticed that the quills were soft instead of sharp like in real life. "You really think I can do that?" The female nodded reassuringly and Six smiled back before starting off. "I'll be back a little later!" He announced and was on his way. Maybe Eight wasn't the only one who could win these tokens. Either way he just had to find something he was able to do.

Meanwhile, Eight had challenged another unfortunate soul to a bet and won, this time winning a little less as the other Stitchpunk only has ten tokens on him. He now waited at the strength machine for a new crowd to move in when a different being approached. "Excuse me." The voice started and revealed a slightly older gentleman wearing a dark green, thick outfit that covered his body as though to protect him. He also wore a matching hat that said 'Maintenance' on it. "But I see what you're doing." Eight flinched a bit and looked to the male, "Yeah… So you want me to stop?"

"On the contrary, I think that you're doing a good job of riling the crowds." The Maintenance Stitchpunk insisted, "In fact, we would like to show you something that may be worth your while." The Guard was slightly skeptical, but as the Maintenance male started off he realized that he very well couldn't be continued being watched anyway. Besides, Mrs. Sheep never turned down the proposition that all of this was possibly against some sort of rules, so Eight followed casually towards one of the larger tents. The front was opened and revealed a small area inside.

It was open like a stage with stands circling it against the tent's edge. Eight stepped inside before the Maintenance male suddenly shut the tent behind him, "Wait in there. They'll be with you shortly." The Guard was uneasy at the suggestion of 'they' but didn't react for a few seconds until a spotlight suddenly alit the middle of the room. There stood a tall, thin Stitchpunk dressed in a red coat with a red top hat. "Greetings, my large friend!" He chimed delightfully and gave a sweeping bow, "I am the Ringleader of this performance." He then straightened again with a wide smile, purple marks above his mouth stretching.

"The maintenance man said he wanted me to see something- someone in here. I'm guessing that's you?" The Ringleader beamed, "I'm afraid, my slow friend, that you have been bamboozled." Eight stared before remarking, "I already have a Boss who insults me. I'm just going to take my business elsewhere." He turned away towards the way he came in before the Ringleader spoke, "As you can see- Look at me, look at me." He insisted and Eight glared back for a few seconds as there was some shuffling. Then the Ringleader gestured over, "Ah, there we are! As you can see, you can't leave."

Now as Eight looked towards where he came in he realized that it was being blocked by two, colorful figures. Both were of moderate size and had multicolored fabric puffed out and hanging down their bodies. They also had bright yarn that was puffed out around their head. They almost looked like the popular 'Raggedy' dolls that Eight had seen before in his own world, then promptly was disturbed at. The two Stitchpunk clowns smiled with wide mouths as Eight looked back to the Ringleader, "You think they're going to keep me in here?" He challenged with a smirk.

"Yes." The Ringleader replied with a smile, "You see, we don't mind- I don't mind when there's a little bit of mischief going on around here, but when it effects the business of the carnival that's another story." He continued on, a more firm look, "But I figured out the exact solution to this. You'll work for the carnival and pay back your debt! Maybe in a couple of years you'll have worked off those tokens." He smiled once more and Eight simply stared before remarking, "Yeah, that's not going to work for me. I'm on a quest for the-." He suddenly heard a clanking noise and looked back only for his optics to widen.

One of the clowns was now manning a large cannon with a small fuse on the back. The larger Stitchpunk's eyes widened, "Wait a minute, let's not get carried away." He protested and put his hands upwards in defense. Once weapons got involved, especially ones that put him in actual danger, he was willing to silence the cynicism that Wonderland had brought out of him. Suddenly there was a loud bang and he was struck in the face. Surprisingly it wasn't the hard metal that he expected and instead was a soft and squishy wetness. He reached upwards and felt the mixture; it smelled strongly of sugar.

"What is this?!" He asked in alarm and attempted to wipe it off before looking upwards just in time to see another fly forward. This time it smacked him in the chest rather heavily. It was some sort of pastry pie and Eight was in disbelief as he looked to the clown. Right before he could say something, probably something mixed with annoyance and confusion, there came another voice. "One lump or two?" Cried a voice from behind before something smacked the back of his head. It was filled with air and squeaked loudly upon impact. Eight let out a cry of alarm instead of anger.

The clown behind him clutched the inflatable mallet with a crazed giggle before swinging again. This time Eight caught his arm and yanked him upwards, hoisting him into the air in an attempt to scare him. However, the clown simply giggled further, and with another smacking noise yet another pastry struck Eight in the back of his head. He growled in annoyance before suddenly hearing the Ringleader, "And those are only two of our many acts! Here, watch this one." He flipped his arm and out of his sleeve appeared a pole that opened into a ring.

The ring was tapped twice on the ground before suddenly bursting into flames. " _What now…?"_ The male mentally asked in alarm before the Ringleader whistled, "Come on, Baby! Spotlight's on you!" There was the sound of hissing and a few mechanical groans before a dark figure dashed into the center spotlight and dove through the flaming hoop before rolling on the ground and landing on its feet. It almost resembled a Canine Beast in a way, but its body was longer in length and it had a snarling mouth of sharp teeth. There was a puff of soft fur stretching down its back and it knelt down.

"This is Baby. She's a bundle of fun!" The Ringleader insisted before the beast dashed forwards. Eight flinched and reached back to grab his knife before bringing it forward to block the Beast, crouching a bit. The Canine Beast hit his knife and the Guard maneuvered the knife to knock the creature off behind him. It rolled again and Eight began to dash through the tent. The Ringleader laughed gleefully as the dropped clown started to stumble to his feet. The clown with the cannon began to fire towards Eight, dragging the cannon around to turn it towards the larger.

"This is insane!" Eight bellowed over at the laughing three before suddenly pausing and remembering something. He suddenly darted towards the canon before shoving the clown away who merely stumbled and fell on his backside. The Guard then aimed said cannon at the Beast and struck it with one of the pies, causing the Canine Beast to stumble back before growling and leaping forward. This managed to distract it, though, as it couldn't see well enough to realize that Eight wasn't behind it. The Guard started to run towards the exit before suddenly the lights in the tent abruptly died.

"Not so fast, friend!" The Ringleader confidently called, spinning the fiery hoop on his arm and somehow not getting burned. Yet suddenly Eight had a new idea and as he heard the sounds of the clowns stumbling and searching for him he sped forward. His footsteps thumped loudly and attracted attention, but in the obscured darkness there was enough chaos that he got to the Ringleader before the clowns and Canine Beast could. He grabbed the Ringleader's arm with one hand and grabbed at his front with the other, "You want a show? Then you'll get a show!" He pulled the large firework free from his partially opened front.

"What's that?" The Ringleader asked in confusion before watching as Eight lit it on the hoop before dropping it. The Guard released the thin male and began to sprint off again. "Again with the running? You know, Baby's way faster than you, Buddy!" That was all he heard before a loud pop erupted with an explosion of colors. Soon there was a following barrage of bangs at multiple colors erupted. The clowns stared in awe, the Ringleader gasped in horror, and the Canine Beast was so frazzled by the noises and lights that it dashed off while making odd yelping noises. Meanwhile, Eight managed to slice his way out of the tent.

As the lift touched down a second time three Stitchpunks stepped out. They followed the clues down into the cavern, thinking that Six and Eight might be here. Nine looked around in awe and managed to fall behind a bit as Two and Five led the way. The one eyed male slowed and looked back, "Nine?" Nine hurried his pace, "Sorry, I just… What is this place? Why is it in this cave?" The Mad Hatter shrugged a bit, "I never heard of an underground festival before now. Maybe they're refugees from the Diamond Kingdom trying to… Celebrate something?" he playfully smiled, "Maybe it's a massive tea party."

Nine chuckled at this and they slipped into the back of a tent. The stored items rested unmoved inside, but Five and Nine soon realized that they couldn't see the Stitchpunk leading them. "Two?" Nine spoke and Five quickly whispered to quiet him, "I don't think we should be back here." Nine glanced around before insisting, "Two's here somewhere. All we're doing is looking for him." He excused, but the Hatter wrung his hands, "Alright… If you're sure." Though Nine wasn't completely sure, but knew it was truly mad just to leave if the White Rabbit was still here.

"Two!" Nine whispered out and continued to search around the boxes of props before Five spoke, "I think I hear- Ah!" Nine looked back, turning on his heel and turning on his Lightstaff. The light illuminated and revealed the Hatter standing there with a male grabbing ahold of his bag. Nine and Five could see the same 'maintenance cap' as Eight did, though it was not the same male. Not that they would have been able to recognize if it was. "What are you two doing back here? This is off limits." The male firmly stated and Five sputtered before Nine explained.

"We're looking for our friends. We found a lift and we think they came down here." The Maintenance male looked confused, "A lift?" Then his optics widened before a glare formed, "You two snuck in here through the emergency elevator!" Five choked and Nine sputtered, "Wait, no, we were just looking for our friends! We didn't even intend to stay or anything!" But the male wasn't convinced, "Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. A couple of Punks like you sneak in to get around admission, not caring what damage you do, not paying admission and just going through our things!"

Nine continued to protest before Five stopped him, "Nine, wait, I… I can handle this." He reached into his pocket for something and pulled out a small packet of black powder. Before Nine could ask, the Mad Hatter tossed it to the ground and stepped on it, and suddenly a large puff of black smoke engulfed the two. Nine stumbled back and the maintenance male began to cough and sputter. Five suddenly sprinted out of the cloud, covering his mouth with his sleeve. He pulled his arm back to call back a quick, "I'm sorry!" Before looking to his friend and continuing with a, "Run!"

The two Stitchpunks barreled out of the tent and down the colorful alley past some very confused Stitchpunks. After a short while Five suddenly zoomed down through an alley and Nine did a double take before following, "Five, where-?!" He immediately stopped as he noticed that Two was now in their line of vision. "Two!" The White Rabbit was at a stall asking about Six and Eight when the two stumbled over. "Two!" Five gasped out, "Two, we- We have to find Six and Eight and leave! There was- Ah…" He looked to Nine who finished, "An incident."

Two's optics widened, "Goodness me! What kind of incident?!" He noticed the black dust on the outside of Five's jacket and brushed at it, "Is this pepper?" Five gave a smile and laughed nervously, "There's a very angry maintenance man covered in pepper whose looking for us." Two tensed and gave a nod, "Alright, come along. This lady says that she saw Six and Eight heading in this direction earlier." He quickened his pace and guided the two along further before they eventually stumbled upon a display in a small square.

There were two performers, separate but working at the same time, and they immediately recognized one. Not the Stitchpunk playing the strange instrument strung to its back off to the side, but the striped Stitchpunk confidently juggling in the center of the square. "Six?" Nine asked in surprise as he made his way over. Six was smiling wide as he juggled three rocks that were relatively the same size and close enough to being round. It was a weird phenomenon that Six was doing this, but was even stranger when he realized how slowly the rocks seemed to move at the top of their throw.

Six continued going on until Nine spoke, "Six?" He had a bit of an amused intrigue in his voice and Six suddenly jumped a bit. He managed to catch one of the rocks, already held the second, and the third fell to the ground. The Artist seemed embarrassed, "Where- What are you doing here?!" Nine explained, "Looking for you and Eight. We followed you here and had an issue, but that doesn't matter. You were juggling?" he was interested and Six felt a smile grow, especially as he noticed that the watchers were now dropping tokens into his empty bad of fried bubbles.

"I was preforming for tokens! Everything here takes tokens and Eight won some, but he left to get more somewhere. But look at this!" He pulled the tiny hedgehog plush out of his pocket and presented it to Nine who took it and felt over it, "It's like a Stitchpunk-sized stuffed animal." Right after Two spoke in and clarified, "It's a stuffed animal that looks like a hedgehog. Very precious, Six! I will have to bring two of these home for Twenty-One and Twelve." He then changed his tone to a more pressed one, "We need to get moving, unfortunately. Nine and Five got into a bit of a tussle."

"What?" Six seemed a little disturbed, "I… But I made a few tokens." He looked into his bag and counted a few extras before leaning down to grab them and slip them into his pocket. "I have enough to play another game. Maybe you all can go without me and I'll wait for Eight." He smiled suggestively before Two glanced passed him, "Oh, that won't be-." He then did a double take and simply stared past Six. Nine and Five also looked by and were staring, both looking surprised by it, and the Artist blinked before hearing a new voice. "We're leaving _now._ " He turned back as soon as he recognized that it was Eight.

He didn't expect to see Eight in the state he was. His fabric was stained in some sort of cream and he smelled sugary while looking absolutely miserable and daring to repeat. "We're going." It was Nine's sudden laughter that almost set Six off. He had to turn away and cover his mouth with his hand to smother any noises. The Guard rolled his optics as the two before grabbing onto the scruff of Six's over shirt. "Yeah, I hear you. Come on." Then he began practically dragging Six with the three others following in tow, heading towards the exit of the cave and away from the hidden carnival in the cave.

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 **Mable: I'm just going to end it there. XD This chapter was pretty all over the place, but if I want to stretch it I can say that it was intentional… Well, not really, but at least it's finished! I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	7. Kingdoms Come Undone

**Mable: Time for another chapter in the saga of Six's return to Wonderland! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Seven: Kingdoms Come Undone_

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Morning came awfully quick for Six. After all of the excitement the previous day, the group had decided to stop and make camp. Thankfully Five and Two packed two large enough tents to support the group. Two and Five had taken one while Six and Nine took the other. Eight had decided to keep guard all night outside. He still seemed more than a bit uneasy after everything that had happened and was keeping a watch out for any followers. That and most likely was relieving stress in the usual way, with his magnet, and after everything nobody was going to call him out on it.

Six hadn't slept well. He did manage to sleep which was a positive, but a number of things kept him tossing and turning. One of them being Nine who had a distressing and uncontrollable habit of talking in his sleep. It hadn't started to bother the striped Artist until it was light out and he knew that shortly on they would be leaving. He decided to abandon the prospect of getting more sleep and left the tent. As he crawled out from the flaps he was almost face to face with a signpost only about a foot away. Calling it a signpost was stretching it a bit, it was more a board hanging on a forked stick than anything.

More importantly though it was not there before. The area had been open and empty, even before they made the camp itself, so they would have most likely moved the sign. But they hadn't even seen the sign. It had definitely not been here before. At first Six assumed that Eight had brought it over and glanced in his direction. The male was propped up somewhat against the mossy roots of a tree nearby and was still fast asleep. It didn't seem like something Eight would do. Six knew Eight long enough to know that there was a method to his behavior. That's when he decided to actually read the sign.

It was clearly print; black lettering on the white, lightly painted board. " _Ink and paper, this way, a half a mile."_ There was an arrow on the bottom that pointed off to the right somewhere. It felt almost like it was left for him, mostly because it was about paper and ink, and skepticism nudged at him. This seemed too coincidental unless it was on purpose. Six looked to Eight again to make sure he wasn't fake sleeping. He was reassured that it wasn't the Guard and finally stood. None of the others were awake either, but it seemed like if they found supplies that they would simply bring them here.

" _Maybe… Maybe Cat?"_ Six mentally questioned himself, " _Could Cat have left this?... I guess he could have probably easily, but would he? He did say he was afraid he would turn against us again…"_ He bit his striped lip and looked over in the direction that the sign pointed out. There were just some trees and what sounded like a river nearby and no sign of and drawing supplies from his current view. _"Maybe Cat did leave it."_ He decided, _"But then he could've just left the supplies. I guess maybe he wasn't thinking it through? Cat can be a little…"_ His thought trailed off as he started over towards the trees.

He knew it was a risk. Eight had told him and the others of what had happened when he went by himself to collect tokens. Part of Six wonder if he was exaggerating though. Of course he could believe it, but then again the Guard could have overreacted to a normal Wonderland event. Either way the premise of having some ink and paper to use for drawing was too good to resist. It would be perfect at a time like this where he had nothing to do except wait for the others to wake up. He pushed of the branches out of his way and crossed through like he was crossing a threshold. The continuing forest looked normal.

As he continued along he wondered how close they were to the White Kingdom. It only seemed like it would be a bit farther, but he didn't see any sign of civilization. He continued onwards to the nearby river, looking for the supplies, not noticing anything out of the ordinary until he arrived at said river. The river flowed lazily and bubbled over the rocks, but instead of being a crisp clear it was black as pitch. In fact, it was as black as ink. "What?" Six asked out loud in surprise as he crouched down and touched the liquid. There was no doubt, the river ran with the purest of ink.

"How is this possible?!" He cried in alarm before noticing a slip of paper floating down past him. He blinked and looked upwards, and only now did the mismatched optics notice that the tree across the river with a yellowish white color and made completely of paper. The bark was twisted and folded paper while the leaves were delicately cut slips that hung from the branches. Six couldn't believe it, but his awe soon turned to absolute delight. This was more than enough supplies than he would ever need and as he peered past the tree he saw something in the distance, which looked like a ledge.

He quickly waded through the ink water to the other side. It rinsed out of his fabric like normal water, fading without leaving stains, though he was more focused on other things. As he climbed out on the other side he gripped the paper tree. A sheet of paper came off of the bark into his hand and he stared at it, noticing how it peeled off in an almost perfect square. His smile only increased and he kneeled down, dipping a finger into the ink and trying to use it. It worked like a charm. He stared at the small doodle of random shapes with a smile as he was now certain that the supplies were perfect.

The paper was the right thickness and the ink was the right consistency. _"It's perfect!"_ He mentally insisted before looking towards the ledge, " _I should see what's over there."_ He suddenly though before hesitating and looking back towards camp, "The others…" he murmured before he thought again, _"It'll only be a second. They won't even notice."_ He decided to follow the thought and hurried over to the hill, tripping through thorn bush and stepping out to the cleared opening. What he saw next had surprised him more than anything else.

Before him lay a valley of paper in different shades of color, accentuated by lines and shades that seemed to be drawn on with ink. There were more steams leading away from a large waterfall of black ink, slithering through the valley. In the center of the valley was the most amazing part. It the center of a thicket of paper rose bushes was a large castle that seemed to also be aligned with paper and drawn upon. He couldn't go back, he had to see what was waiting for him. He hurried down the slope of the hill and barely noticed that the grass was also blades made of paper.

He hopped over another ink stream, waded through a flower bed of pink, paper flowers, and soon ended at the opening to the thicket of thorns. It almost looked like a tunnel leading though the vast growth. The vines of green paper with small points on them. They were lined with large roses with paper petals of pink, or a washed out red. The Artist was in awe of them, "They're just like the ones at the Red Kingdom!" He reached out and plucked one from the vines before slipping it into his pocket. He then continued to hurry along, soon approaching the heavy front doors of the castle.

He climbed the few steps to the doors before reaching to open them, only to find them opening on their own. He was impressed and looked to see if he could see some sort of mechanism. Instead he spotted something else, one of the papers on the side of the castle was peeling off. He would have ignored it until he noticed a spot of maroon underneath. It wasn't the washed out color like the paper would show so Six reached out and grasped the paper to move it. Underneath he could see a bit of the hidden marble and a clearly printed symbol.

His mismatched optics widened as he realized that it was a deep maroon colored diamond. This was the castle of diamonds. Six stared for a few seconds before his thoughts rang out, " _This is odd. I should go inside and see what's going on."_ He shivered and stepped back as he suddenly noticed something horrifying. That voice in his head wasn't his thoughts. It was almost like a voice talking nearby, seemingly fake, and he didn't think it even was his own anymore. Now Six suddenly realized that he made a mistake.

He slowly backed down the steps before stumbling and falling onto his backside, staring upwards at the opened doors leading into the Diamond Castle. He slowly stood and sputtered, "I-I should get the others and come back!" He insisted, "Yeah… This place is amazing… But maybe they should see this…" He turned around and started down the tunnel of vines. Only a few steps in and the voice murmured again, " _I think I should turn back."_ Something in the voice sounded darker, or maybe Six simply imagined it. He spoke out again, "I will be back. I just have to get the others." Everything seemed to go completely silent all at once.

Six continued along quietly for a few more steps until suddenly vines started to slide out in front of him. He knew he was in serious trouble and took a step back as they started to build a wall before him. Though he noticed that where the vines moved from was becoming thinner and once he saw an actual opening he dashed towards it and hopped through. Soon it was an awkward run through a tangle of paper vines that he sliced at with his sharp fingers. Suddenly he fell through into an opening nearby. Six managed to keep from falling but accidently drove his foot into a piece of rock.

He hissed in pain and shook it off quickly before he actually realized what it was. It looked like a fence made of stone and beyond it was a dilapidated house of stone. Then another, then another, and another, house after house after building, and suddenly Six knew that the vines were hiding the town. This was the Diamond Kingdom, there was no doubt in his mind. Yet right as Six realized this he looked back to see the vines crawling towards him. He gasped and dashed between two of the buildings before running down a cobblestone path.

The vines above began to fall down and attempted to trap him, but as much as they clawed at his clothing and body he wouldn't give in. Finally he burst out of the vines and back into the field, but it had changed. The grass was missing and the ground was now cracked and barren. The ink still ran through the streams and occasionally flowed into these cracks. It didn't flow as well though and instead of being like water it was like sludge. Almost like it wasn't ink at all. Six was disturbed and continued to run along towards the hill desperately.

He started upwards until he suddenly felt a sharp pain around his ankle before yanking him down. He collapsed against the hill which dared to have a slight bit of grass still on it. He looked down to see that a vine wrapped around his ankle, coming out of the ground. Though it resembled barbed wire much more than a vine. He let out a cry of pain before hearing a distant call, "Six?!" He recognized the voice as Nine's and looked upwards towards the last bushes of thorns that kept him from camp. "Help!" He cried out and yanked at the barbed vine. Six looked around desperately before noticing a rock nearby.

It was out of reach and he desperately reached for it as he heard a slicing noise further on the hill, like they were slicing through the thorns. He reached out towards the rock desperately before it suddenly flinched and rolled towards him. His brows raised in surprise, but he didn't argue and instead eagerly grabbed it before rolling over. Six quickly started to strike the barbed vine with the rock until it released his ankle. He then stumbled to his feet and dashed off towards the vines, diving through the bush and nearly slamming right into Two who managed to catch him.

"My goodness, my boy, what is it?!" He asked in concern, Eight and Five both peeking around them with weapons drawn and Nine at his side. Six merely gasped and sputtered as Nine looked past him and stared, "What…?" Six looked back in alarm, but what he saw was simply the valley, though it had gone through a shocking transformation. Now the paper was completely absent and he could clearly see the town and the castle. All destroyed and merely remnants of what it once was. Two sighed a bit, "The Diamond Kingdom… It looks awful."

Six looked to the White Rabbit with dread and sputtered, "We need to leave. Now!" Two was surprised by the outburst and Eight butted in, "Why? What'd you see?" Six wanted to say something, but a horrible thought passed his mind, one of his own. If he told them what happened they would want to go see what was there, and that was simply not safe at this moment. He bit his striped lip and swallowed his dread, "I… I just have a bad feeling… We need to leave." Two still looked alarmed while Nine looked to Eight with a raised brow. Eight's look back showed that he didn't believe it at all either.

Five, however, was more than willing to believe if just to leave. "Well, we'll be at the White Kingdom pretty soon. We probably should get on the road… And away from here." He looked down at the valley in disturbance before Eight asked. "How'd you get on the other side of these thorns anyway? It was so thick that we barely got through." Six paused for a few seconds before excusing, "I… Crawled underneath?" Again it wasn't believed, but Two came to his rescue by laying a hand on his back, "Let's get going. We need to finish packing camp." He smiled to the younger and both he and Six, and Five, headed off.

Nine started to follow when he paused and looked to Eight, "Did you notice anything weird with Six?" The Guard nodded slowly, "You mean weirder than normal? Yeah. He's hiding something." Nine started after them before Eight stopped him, "Wait." Once Nine turned towards him he spoke lowly, "Look, Six isn't going to talk about what happened, so we'll wait and ask him later. If we prod him now then we'll have a bad time trying to get answers later." Nine nodded in agreement, "Alright, sounds like a plan to me." Then the two took after the others.

They assisted in fixing camp before continuing on their journey to the White Kingdom. It didn't take too long until the rolling planes appeared. Still shaped like a checkerboard and still vibrant and green as usual. A look of relief passed Six's face, "Almost there…" Yet as they got closer something g immediately became apparent. The white walls surrounding the castle were falling apart and there were Wockyworks dipping in and out. Once it was fully visible the horror sunk in, "They're everywhere!" Five pointed out in dread before looking to his mentor, "What are we going to do?!"

Before Two could answer Nine butted in, "We need to get in the city and see if we can help!" Naturally his helpful nature was kicking in, "We're more than capable, right?" Eight took it as though it was a test and straightened before nodding. "Let's go." Now Two smiled at the two, proud at their willingness, "That's the spirit! Let's hurry and step in before anymore come!" Five and Six were hesitant, but the one eyed male smiled slightly and nodded before following. Six lingered in the back of the group. Usually he would eagerly assist, considering how special Wonderland was to him, but he had a bad feeling in his core.

The front gates into the city were broken open and allowed Eight to charge straight in with his knife pulled free. The spider-like Wockyworks were climbing over everything as there was chaos in the streets. People were running into their homes and hiding while white guards and a few odd heart guards tried to attack the Beasts. With a battle cry he ran forward and brought his knife down on a Wockywork. Two pulled out his lance and was planning on running ahead when Five stopped him and pulled out his harpoon, silently running before him almost protectively. Two then followed as Nine and Six ran behind.

The zippered male seemed to notice something in an alleyway and stopped Six, "Wait, there!" Six looked over to where Nine was pointing to see a couple of young Stitchpup children cornered in an alley between two buildings. They were surrounded by three of the Wockyworks who were hissing and eyeing them, as though they were keeping them in place. Nine turned his Lightstaff on and ran in while Six followed him to help. The zippered male swung at the Wockyworks which made shrieks as though they were afraid and hesitated back. Nine grew confident and continued to swing at them, "Stay back! Get back!"

Six, meanwhile, ran forward and put his arms around the younger Stitchpunks, "Come on, Kids!" Six started to continue leading them down an alley to an open door where an older couple was watching. "Take them, please!" Six instructed as he ushered the three inside and the elderly couple nodded, not arguing at all and protecting the somewhat familiar children. Nine smirked and swung at the Wockyworks again, driving them back further, "Tell your _Machine Maker_ that we're going to fight back every step of the way!" Maybe it was silly to call out, but Nine was saying it for more self-amusement than anything else.

The larger of the Wockyworks seemed to quiver its body before looking to him and raising small talons on its front, little openings opening on the front. A thick liquid sprayed out onto Nine's front and he sputtered and tried to wipe it off. It stuck to his arm and became stringy like sticky, thick thread. He grew frantic, trying to knock it off with his staff and only getting it stuck too. He started to back away, more of the spray going onto his chest and free arm. "What is this?!" He cried out as he took a few shaky steps back, the thread stretching only far enough to get in a few before it held him restricted.

"I need help! Someone! Five!" He caught a glimpse of the one eyed one before a needle shot by towards the Wockywork. It rolled out of the way, the threading tightening and pulling Nine to the ground. Five now was the one to cry out in dread and he started to come forward, "No, Nine!" He couldn't lose another Nine and as he tugged at the strands his own hands got stuck. Six managed to make it back and stared at the scene frozen. One of the smaller Wockyworks looked to him and hissed aggressively, causing him to shrink back and clutch his key.

Five was desperate, "Six, you have to get Two! I don't know how to get this stuff off!" The Artist hesitated and looked at the Beast before sprinting around it. It raised its front legs aggressively but didn't actually attack him. He rushed past Nine and Five before sprinting after Eight and Two. "Eight! Two! Hurry!" The larger Wockywork circled around the two Stitchpunks and drug them around, the netting seemingly spreading and expanding over Five's arms and Nine's torso. Both Stitchpunks tried to protest and struggle, but it failed and the other Wockyworks approached before grabbing the string.

They helped the larger drag Nine and Five along towards the gate. Five attempted to get to his feet while being dragged, trying to pull the zippered male back as he braced his feet on the ground. Two, Eight, and Six dashed upwards from behind and saw the scene. Immediately Eight started to hurry over, running just a bit slower than the Beasts were dragging. Five tugged harder, "We're going to get you free, Nine!" He insisted and yanked back firmly only for his hands to become free. They were still stuck together with glob of webbing and he fell onto his backside as Nine was still dragged off.

Lacking Five's weight they were quicker than ever and quickly managed to run out of Eight's view, the Guard staring in horror as he burst back out of the gates and stared out after them. He couldn't believe it; he had failed and let one of them get taken. Six stumbled beside him and stared off in the direction before looking to the Guard in alarm. "They're taking him towards the sea! They must be heading towards the factory!" The Guard rubbed his head, "You've got to be kidding me… Wait." He suddenly realized something and looked to Six, "Wait a second! Does he still have the talisman with him!?"

Six looked to the male in surprise, staring upwards before sudden dread sinking in and him looking off to the side. Eight clenched and quickly sheathed his knife, "This can't be happening! I knew we should've just gone back!" But he was shot down quickly. "We can't go back now, not without Nine." Six pointed out firmly as though to bring Eight back to reality, "We'll just… We need to go to the factory. We still have time." The Guard huffed before nodding in defeat. "Let's just get the others." They started towards the gate and the Artist hesitated before following, "Why can't I ever do anything? I just, I should have done something…"

Suddenly the large male stopped in space and looked back to the tiny Artist waiting behind him, "You're rhyming. Why are you rhyming?" He was more firm than actually annoyed and Six paused. "Umm… I don't know." He smiled uncomfortably and the Guard sort of shook his head before simply heading back into the city. Two and Five had moved, but it didn't take the two long to find them at the broken fountain. It was cracked on the edge and water spilled through onto the cobblestone. Five was sitting on the edge with his hands stuck into the water and Two was leaning over trying to help him work the webs off.

"He's gone." Eight announced to the two and the Inventor winced while Five looked over and horror. "They didn't take him towards-?" Six solemnly nodded and Five dropped his head into his hands, "Oh no…" The White rabbit nearly sputtered, "But let's not lose hope! We can still go after him!" Eight gave a firm nod, "I was thinking the same thing." Two reached into his vest and pulled out a small coin purse before handing it to Six, "Go to the grocer. We need a pot of mustard, a fresh lemon, and two sugar cubes." Five offered his hands, "We could use my cuffs."

"We can't if they're stuck under the webbing too." Two pointed out and Six took the purse, "… This will free Five from the webbing?" The White Rabbit nodded insistently, "I'm certain. It's back that way around the corner." Six looked to Eight to see if he was going to come. Instead the larger male crossed to the fountain and sat down only for the edge of the fountain to crumble underneath him. He almost fell but managed to catch himself and move over while Six stifled a giggle by covering his mouth. He immediately felt bad though as he remembered that this wasn't the time to be laughing.

He quickly hurried off in the direction that Two pointed out. Soon he found it and hurried inside, finding the inside almost empty of supplies. He decided not to ask because he already knew; either it was stolen or all bought out to be hoarded. It made him wonder how long the attack had been going on. Thankfully mustard wasn't a supply in demand, nor was a last shriveled lemon, and they were able to scrape together enough sugar. They bagged the purchases and Six turned to head out, stopping as he was suddenly blocked. It was Eight and he blinked before looking upwards, "I didn't think…"

It didn't strike him until he realized that Eight was wearing a lot more armor than usual. "Eight!" He gasped, but it wasn't the same as before, and this wasn't the same Eight. He looked just as surprised to see him and asked, "Six?" He seemed hesitant in a way as though he was having the same trouble that Six was having. The Artist beamed before leaping forward and hugging onto the male. Almost immediately he ripped back, "I'm sorry! I just- It's been a while…" He gave an embarrassed smile and the response was a chuckle of amusement, of a friendly amusement.

"I should've known. Everything was going backwards around here, eventually you'd pop back up." He crossed his arms casually, but Six noticed that there was a slice near his elbow, the fabric gaping open. "So what're you doing shopping in the middle of a warzone?" Six looked upwards from the wound and smiled a little bit once more, "Getting things for Two. It's a long story." Suddenly Eight's optics widened and his smile dropped, "Whoa, wait. What's Two doing here?" Six clutched his key with his free hand. "It's… A long story. We were coming to the White Kingdom and I think we're eventually going to try to find a staff that terraforms. First we were just coming here."

"And One was okay with it?" Eight was surprised and Six was amused, "Not really, but Two wanted to come with us." Eight chuckled again, a drier laugh and shook his head, "You both chose a bad time to come down here." The Artist looked out at the street in concern, "I suppose we did." He then looked to Eight and touched her arm, the larger male flinching from the soreness around the wound, "Two could fit that, or Five, one of them." The Guard nodded in agreement before stepping out with him.

"Since we've been here there's been attacks every couple of days. None of the messengers could even get out without being swarmed with Wockyworks. Just now was one if the smaller attacks… We're not sure what even triggered it." Six suddenly wondered if it involved the Diamond Kingdom incident but discarded the idea. It didn't seem possible in a way, or at least not reasonable. "How'd you get back?" The Red Bodyguard asked in questioning and the striped Artist was amused, "The same as before; without my control… In fact, a couple of my friends from my world came down as well."

The larger raised a brow curiously, "Really?" Six nodded before suddenly hesitating as he realized that everything was going to become a lot more confusing when they returned to the others. "Brace yourself." He quietly warned himself, though Eight heard, "What?" They entered into the square where Two and Five were waiting. Six scurried over only to realize that Eight had moved somewhere else. He took the moment to approach Two and handed the bag. "Oh, excellent! Thank you!" He took the coin purse as well before 'tsk'ing. "You could've bought yourself something too."

Suddenly Eight broke in, "Not much to buy anymore." Two looked back before smiling and Five looked past to him, "Eight! You're alright!" The Bodyguard raised his arm to show the wound. "Almost. You got your healing stuff?" There came his response. "I always do, but I'll need a second." He raised his bound wrists, "My hands are a little tied." Eight chuckled again and patted Two heavily on the back, "Please tell me One _really_ knows you're out here." Two gave a cheeky smile, "He really does, but he's not exactly pleased. Then again it is hard to please One." The larger shrugged, "If anyone would know it would be you."

He paused before adding in, "That came out different than I met." Two nodded, "I had a feeling. Though it was mostly mortification." Five chimed in with a little laughter and Six felt for a second like everything was serene, like everything was back to the way it was during his last adventure in Wonderland. Until he suddenly heard a voice behind him with a sudden, _"What?!"_ Here came the awkwardness he was expecting. He winced and looked over at the same time Eight did, only to see Eight. Both Eights were surprised to see mirror images of themselves standing close by. Both stared in absolute bewilderment.

Six was pretty sure that both males knew the other existed and yet both stared as though they never expected to see the other in front of them. In a way they weren't ever supposed to and the Artist murmured, "Eight, this is… Eight."

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 **Mable: Preview for the next chapter; lots of Eight apparently. XD I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**


	8. Dancing by the Sea

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I don't own 9, Enjoy! ^_^**

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 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Eight: Dancing by the Sea_

For the entire trip Nine had been relatively calm. The webbing sort of cocooned his body so his fabric didn't skid when dragged along the ground and the Wockyworks were joined by others making the trip a bit faster. He stayed alert as he remembered the path they drug him through, hoping it would be of assistance when he escaped, which he was certain he could. They carried him to the sandy shore, though couldn't turn his head to see the water which distressed him. He wanted to still see the world shifting around him and was simply unable to do so.

They drug him into a cold, damp, and incredibly small tunnel and he was pulled along for what felt like a long while before eventually being pulled out into a forest. This one, however, was much darker and filled with water like some sort of bog. It also smelled bad; like a mix of mud, forest decay, and oil. It took Nine only a short while to realize that the thick mist in the air was actually smokestack smog. That was his only warning that the factory was closer than he thought. He was dragged through a grate and taken into the hot and murky depths, drug into the core.

Oddly enough the inside of the factory seemed to resemble the factory's from his world. Once here the Wockyworks started to pull the webbing free and at first Nine was confused, but the confusion dissipated quickly as he realized that the Machine was nearby. He had just gotten back on his feet and still almost fell backwards as he took a few shaky steps back. The Machine didn't respond and Nine peered closer before realizing that it was either off or destroyed, " _So… So there definitely was a Machine here too… but like back in the Emptiness it's not awake."_

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden scuffling nearby and he turned in the direction, watching as a Wockywork dashed over towards the noise. It suddenly occurred to Nine that they had brought him here for something else and he felt his body stiffen and he looked around for his staff. It was laying nearby, still having some webbing hanging loosely off of it. Nine leaned over and lifted it, lightly shaking it to get the webbing off. Once free he turned around to face the same direction again, only to suddenly freeze in place. Suddenly a new Stitchpunk entered his line of sight; or it somewhat looked like a Stitchpunk.

Its fabric was stark white and mechanical arms stuck out from its back, resembling the Machine's arms. Its optics were deep red and glowed with the intensity of any machine. Nine suddenly felt cold and began to stumble backwards in desperation as he stared at the creature. As though his mind couldn't comprehend the being that suddenly was right before him. This thing, this Machine Stitchpunk of some kind, stared at him with this look that almost seemed familiar. Almost as though he recognized the empty and aggressive look a Beast made when it stared at a Stitchpunk.

The Fabrication Machine lay unmoving nearby and this Stitchpunk creature somehow had that same look. That same stare that the Fabrication Machine once directed at him. Again Nine felt just as bare as he did so long ago, like it was studying every breath. "Who are you?" It asked, its voice sharp and demanding, and Nine sputtered, "I'm Nine…" Then he regained some bravery and grew firm, supposing that it was worth not showing fear and getting some sort of answers. "Are you… The one who sent those things on the city?"

"You are _lying._ " The Machine Stitchpunk hissed and came in closer as it glared at the male, "Who _are_ you?!" It suddenly occurred to Nine that maybe it was talking about the difference between him and his Wonderland counterpart. _"Did I- Did this Nine fight the Machine too?... Creator, please tell me that this wasn't the Jabberwock Six was talking about."_ It suddenly occurred to him and he had the urge to give Six a long talk about details. It was moving in closer, twitching aggressively as electricity rolled over its optics. Now Nine had a new thought, _"But he would have… Is he like Cat was?"_

The zippered male wondered, taking a step back to put distance between them. Something was eerily uncanny about the Fabrication Machine being a Stitchpunk. It almost made it seem more disturbing than when it was actually a hulking machine. Still the zippered male managed to find his voice. "I know who _I_ am." Nine remarked almost matter-of-factly to show he wasn't afraid. He raised his Lightstaff and looked towards the pale male, "Maybe you just don't know who _you_ are." He accused.

The Machine Stitchpunk for a split second got an almost unimpressed look, but there was another light static and it reverted to frustration, moving further in. Soon Nine's back was against the wall and the Wockyworks, as well, moved in…

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"Don't you two keep eyeing each other like that, you both had a suspicion that you would meet eventually." Two pointed out in an attempt to break the awkward silence as he guided the others out of the city and towards the shore. Eight and Wonderland Eight had yet to say even a word to each other. It was too awkward and uncomfortable to do so. Though when they did get spaced out enough Eight, the normal one, leaned down and muttered to Six, "You could've warned me." Six quirked a brow, "It surprised me too." He reminded but Eight scoffed, "Nothing surprises you. You always know when something's happening."

Said in a different tone it might have been a compliment, but Six was pretty sure that Eight was trying to insinuate something. He was used to it and found it ironic that he wanted to roll his eyes more than hang his head. He looked over towards Wonderland Eight and Five who were talking. "Did you… Find him?" He offered and the larger male shook his head, "I thought he got stuck here delivering a message or something… But nobody's seen him." Six suddenly inched over and quietly asked in, "I… I don't mean to intrude, but who are you talking about?" Wonderland Eight looked to him before remarking, "One's messenger."

"One's wild card." Five chimed in, "I think we mentioned him before." Six nodded, "You did. I hope he's okay… He probably is. Maybe he's hiding down in that cave carnival." Wonderland Eight raised a brow and Five laughed nervously, "Yeah, that's possible…" Then the bodyguard looked amused, "He loved a good celebration. I guess I should've expected you down there." Six gave a small smile and looked ahead to see Two still leading them and Eight, oddly enough, looking back at the three following. The second he saw that Six was looking he casually looked forward again.

The walking continued for a short while longer before Six looked to Wonderland Eight again. "Umm… Eight?" The red armor clad male looked down at him, "Yeah?" The Artist quietly murmured a soft, "Is the White Kingdom safe?" A few moments passed before the larger scoff, "I wish, but me being there's not fixing anything. I left the guards back there so they should help…" Two glanced back and encouraged, "The guards will be able to keep a decent hold on the city. I'm certain of it." This seemed to be enough encouragement and Wonderland Eight decided to boldly approach the other Eight.

"So, you got a One too?" He offered and Eight gave him a weird look before surprisingly opening to the other version of himself. "Yeah. Pretty much the same as yours too." He smirked a little and Wonderland Eight returned it, "Does he know you're down here?... I'm guessing he doesn't. Probably should start thinking of some sort of excuse now and save yourself the trouble later." Eight waved it off, "That might work for your One, but my One sees right through a story. Can't get anything passed him." Wonderland Eight raised a brow, "Huh. Mine gets offended if there's not a story."

Somehow suddenly Eight and Wonderland Eight were talking. A part of Six felt an overwhelming relief as he noticed it and gave a small smile as he continued along with the others. When the group got to the port they were alarmed to see that there were many, many boats that were chained securely to the dock, but no sailors. "Where is everyone?" The Mad Hatter asked in confusion, furrowing his single brow, "I've never seen the port this empty! Not even during a typhoon!" He looked to Two who looked down at the chains, "Hmm… This is odd too. Usually they don't lock boats this tightly. They must think that someone's planning on stealing."

"Us." Wonderland Eight announced, "That was going to be our ticket to the island." Eight smirked at the comment and Five was insistent, "We couldn't steer a ship!" The bodyguard looked to Two, "He could." The White Rabbit lowered his optics, "And it's been so long since I've been on the water that I most likely would have too… Alright, we need a new plan." He abruptly announced and clasped his hands together before Eight suddenly spoke in, "Wait a second. The factory's on an island, right? So how'd those little beasts get over the water? I've never seen any of them swimming."

The White Rabbit perked, "Actually, that's a good point. There must be another way out there." He pulled out his pocket watch and checked it before steering them to the end of the docks. When they ended the group stepped down and continued along the sandy shore. It didn't take too long until Six, who was walking ahead, spotted a hole in the ground. "Here." He announced to the others before crouching down and looking in, "It's… A tunnel?" He peered down the length as Five crouched beside him, "They must have tunneled under!... Somehow? A tunnel made of sand should have caved under the pressure."

"Not in this sea. This sea is more foam than salt." Two quickly pointed out as he pulled his hat off. This was the first time Six saw the White Rabbit without his bunny ear resembling, bulb coil hat on. Like with the March Hare, Two was hiding an actual pair of rabbit ears underneath, and they perked and listened in carefully. "Hmm… Do you hear that?" Immediately both Eights went to draw their weapons, Wonderland Eight getting his out while Eight was half way to doing so when Two stopped him. "No, no. Not that sort of noise. Listen…" They paused, all four of them, but couldn't hear what Two was pointing out.

"It's coming from this direction." He announced before hurrying down the beach and Five called after him, "Two, wait for us!" He slumped briefly in exasperation before giving Six an amused smile. "He's as bad as Nine sometimes." The Mad Hatter stood and took Six's hand to pull him upwards before they started after the Inventor. Two led them down the beach some ways until they started to hear the noise too, but what they didn't expect to hear was music, and singing. As they came closer it was obvious that it was a celebration of some kind. Eight lagged back at the thought of it being some sort of festival.

In fact, it was. There were torches arranged in the sand which glowed a same orange as the setting sun. The section of beach had widened into a sandy alcove beneath the cliff and was filled with life. A couple of sailors sat by the edge of the invisible circle on old crates, playing instruments and watched a group of eight, strange creatures dancing. They looked somewhat like Stitchpunks head-wise, but they had large, bulky arms with claws at the end, and strangely stout legs, twirling and dancing on the beach. "My goodness, they're Lobsters?!" Two blurted out, "I thought Lobster-punks were just a myth!"

The group of Lobsters suddenly halted as the noticed the coming Stitchpunks and started to scuttle towards the water. "No, no, wait!" Two called out desperately, "We aren't dangerous! Please come back!" Yet as he hurried to the shoreline they all dove into the brine. The White Rabbit stared after them desperately and Five looked towards the sailor's, "We were just- Oh, you're sailors!" He stepped forward with an eager smile, "You could help us! We're trying to get to the Jabberwocky's island, but all the ships are abandoned. We'll be willing to pay, or-."

"No can do." One of the sailor's chimed in. "The White King banned ship use until the Island is deemed safe." The Mad Hatter slouched and the Heart Guard approached, "Wait a second. That can't be right, the White King wouldn't have made that order. I don't even think he's qualified to make an order at all." He gave a suspicious look and the sailors all seemed to look away. "That's what the rule is." One pointed out before another chimed in, "Besides, going to that island is suicide! It's running mad with Boojums and Wockyworks!" Naturally now Wonderland Eight no longer believed them and was a bit annoyed.

Either way, Two dragged him back to the other sluggishly, "Our friend has been taken to the factory by Wockyworks." He looked to the others, "We'll have to try the tunnel." Suddenly Six felt his body quiver as he imagined that tight tunnel deep under the ocean. Tight and dark, and cold, closing in under the foamy waves. "No!" He blurted out as panic shook his frame, "I can't- _We_ can't- Not the tunnel…" The four looked to him in alarm and the sailors stared. "Six…" Two began in confusion and Five suddenly seemed to remember, "That's right, Six is claustrophobic…"

Six looked to him in alarm and was surprised by the Mad Hatter's abrupt reveal, "W-What?" There was a small exhale from Eight, "It's not like we were fitting through there anyway." He remarked to the group, though mostly to his counterpart. Wonderland Eight gave a nod and glared at the sailors, "Yeah… It's a shame we don't have _a_ _boat."_ The sailors again looked away and Two gave Six a small smile, "It's fine, Six. We won't use the tunnel. There's no telling that they don't have it sealed closed on the other side." Six was relieved and exhaled slowly.

This was interrupted by another voice, "We could take you to the island." Two gave a gasp and looked back with the others to see one of the Lobsters poking its head out of the ocean. "Oh! Dear Lobster, you didn't leave!" The Lobster smiled and nodded a little, "We were making sure you weren't looking for soup. Anyway, we would be able and glad to carry you all to the island. We Lobsters do not fear the waters around the islands as long as we don't step upon them. In return you could help us." The others looked confused about the 'help' that the Lobster was seeking.

"Do… Do you need someone to stop the factory?" Five offered and Two chimed in, "Ah, yes! I'm sure it spills a good deal of waste into the water." Six couldn't imagine it; the thought of the oil and grime floating on the water almost made him not want to touch it. The Lobster waved a claw, "Nothing like that! Today is the day of the Lobster Quadrille! Usually there's only us eight, but with you five joining it should be quite a treat! Will you, won't you join our dance?" The offer seemed simple and Two looked back to the others. Eight looked skeptical, Wonderland Eight was confused, and Six was strangely enough looking excited.

"Well… We've dealt with worse for a ride!" Five playfully joked before growing quiet, "Uh… Not that there's anything wrong with dancing with you, Mr. Lobster." The Lobster chuckled again, its voice bubbly and gurgling like the sea itself, and then he leapt from the water and landed on the sand. The rest of the Lobsters followed, one by one, and soon all eight were back on the sand. "Our dance is simple! We dance and dance, and when the music grows finite we get thrown into the ocean. You'll throw us in, swim out to us, and then we'll carry you just as we promised!"

"Sounds easy enough." Wonderland Eight remarked and Eight looked to him in alarm, "You're getting into this?" The heart bodyguard gave an amused rumble and shrugged, "I've danced with worse. You can dance with anyone after you've danced with the Duchess." Everyone seemed to be in agreement. "Any of you want to start?" The lead Lobster asked and offered his claw to the group. After a few seconds Six smiled and took it, "I haven't danced before…" He warned but the Lobster didn't care, "Nobody except Lobsters do our Quadrille, so of course you wouldn't know! But it's really easy. We start…"

The Lobster began to circle Six while still having his hand, coaxing Six to circle as well. They began to move faster and faster until the Lobster took both of Six's hands and they began a quick, but more traditional looking dance. Six managed to catch the pattern quickly because it was rather simply before the Lobster stopped him, "Now…" He took Six's arm upwards to spin him, the Artist following slowly, and then the Lobster ducked enough so that Six could spin him. Both spins were repeated again, this time much quicker. After the spinning the other Lobsters moved in and they all stood in a circle.

The Lobsters and Six took hands and they started to dance in a circle for a short time before breaking into four, then into couples again. A different Lobster with a lighter voice was paired with Six. It stayed mostly silent though and seemed either baffled or shy as it just stared at him while they danced. They didn't hold hands in this segment and seemed to just dance with each other, or in front of each other, with feet scuffing in the loose sand. The Lobsters clicked their claws at this time and Six decided not to mimic the gesture, as he wasn't certain if he could. Then the Lobster took Six's hands almost nervously and they began to dance together like they did in the beginning.

"That's it!" The lead Lobster announced and all of them stopped, "As easy as that! When we're finished we'll need to be tossed out into the water- I already said that. Anyway, let us begin!" Three of the Lobsters left the group, maybe to make the number even, and went off near the makeshift band of the sailors who played their instruments. " _You can't really have a notion how delightful it will be, when they take us up and throw us out to sea! Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?"_ The three sung together as though with one voice of many tones. Two, Five, and Wonderland Eight joined in before Eight reluctantly joined as well.

Six danced with the skittish Lobster as they continued to go along before the group met in a circle yet again. After briefly dancing in a circle Six changed partners again, this time ending with Five who seemed already familiar with the dance. The two had a little bit of laughter as they stumbled together with the dance. Finally Six was having fun again, even if Nine was at risk. Part of him didn't think that Nine would be hurt, considering how the Jabberwocky and the March Hare got along. Then they shifted back into the circle once more and danced in one ring as one. Then they broke into couples again.

Suddenly the Artist was in the grasp of none other than Wonderland Eight. He smiled at the taller male and noticed that he was looking friendly, but had a strange trance in his optics, and the striped male had to look down in shyness. They danced together briefly before Eight was spinning the male in his grasp, doing in extra times instead of exchanging spots to be spun, mostly because Six clearly couldn't reach over the Guard. As the striped male looked around he could see that Eight was dancing with Two and actually had an amused look on his lips, like he was finally starting to have a little fun.

A hand on his back stopped the spinning and Six looked upwards at Wonderland Eight only to regret it. The other was bluntly staring as though lost in thought and the striped one sputtered out, "Is something wrong?" Wonderland Eight murmured with a, "What?" Six quietly continued with, "You, umm… You seem… Distracted?" The hearts bodyguard suddenly realized it and shook it off, "Sorry. Thinking about something… One's parties and stuff." It was relatively dismissive, but Six believed him to an extent. They started to move back into the ring again. What Six didn't notice was that now Eight was the one staring.

Eight wasn't even certain why he felt weird about the way that Six and the other Eight were carrying on. He watched them until they broke apart, in which he was paired with a Lobster. Every one of the Stitchpunks was now paired with the Lobsters who suddenly began to dance incredibly quickly. Before any of the Stitchpunks were left behind, Two was starting to have trouble keeping with the fancy footwork, the Lobsters pulled back. "Toss us in! Into the sea! Into the foam!" They chimed and requested. Eight was the first to lift his Lobster and toss him out into the sea. Next was his counterpart's.

Six and Five managed to lift one together and tossed it into the very shallow water. This Lobster gave them a weird look before swimming off. Both Eights handled the last two Lobsters while Two caught his breath. "Are you okay? Do you need to stop and rest?" Five asked quietly and Two patted his hand, "I'm alright. I just- I just needed a moment. It's been a while since I've been out and about." Five gave a nod, "As long as you're able to swim." There was a voice clearing cough from Eight, "Yeah, about that…" His tone was uneasy and he rubbed the back of his neck in an uncomfortable fashion.

Five looked to him in alarm, "You can't swim?" He then looked to Wonderland Eight who was shedding a small amount of his armor, calling to the sailors and warning them not to touch it while he was gone. Naturally he could swim, so it confused the Mad Hatter that Eight couldn't. "I'll sink like a rock." Eight promised and Five looked to Six, "Six…?" Six massaged his key and admitted, "I can swim a little. I don't know if I can swim that far." Now Eight chimed in again, "We're coming from a place without water in the area other than a puddle or a fountain. There's no sea back in the Emptiness."

"Well…" Five began before perking, "Wait, I have something!" He pulled his hat off, "I'll need Two's bag." Eight took it off and tossed it over, looking to the White Rabbit who seemed completely fine with his apprentice using it. He looked proud if anything. Five pulled out his teapot and fiddled with it before looking through the bag and pulling out some powdered leaves. "This should help. They're called Aqua Fiducia herbs. Mostly because when used properly they can help with buoyancy." He closed the teapot and it started to bubble on its own in the sand. Six crouched down beside him and Five smiled to him.

"This will help both of you by making you float on the water. Then you don't have to swim. You can just nudge yourself along." Six perked, "Really? How long will it last?" Five paused now, his optic moving somewhere off into the air, "Well, it's not permanent." Now Eight leaned over and pointed out, "Which means it's going to run out. How quickly?" The Mad Hatter hesitated before reciting, "I can't guarantee that you could swim all the way to the island, but I can guarantee that you could swim to or almost to the Lobsters." He gave a nod afterwards while Eight stared dumbstruck.

"You just- That means you can't guarantee anything!" There was a loud splash as Wonderland Eight dove into the water and started on his way. Two was next, pulling a key out of his waistcoat and plugging it into his hat. As he wound the hat the bunny ear wires disappeared inside and what looked like a spoon head covered the top, blocking it from water damage. "I-I am sure that if you are quick you'll make it." Five insisted, "But you'll have to go right to the Lobsters without stopping." The teapot suddenly whistled and he poured a cup of the mixture, which Two took first. He downed a mouthful.

"No need to strain myself when I don't need to." He pointed out with a chuckle and handed it back to his apprentice before hurrying to dive into the water. Five refilled the cup and passed it to Six who took it. He stared down into the oddly blue liquid for a second before throwing caution to the wind and downing some of it. It actually didn't taste bad. A hint of a sweet and tart berry flavor if anything. He passed it back and Five insisted, "Hurry into the water." The Artist nodded and rushed over before starting to wade into the salty ocean. Five filled the cup again and handed it to Eight, "You'll probably want the whole thing."

Eight didn't argue. He downed the cup and hurried to the water. Five put his things back together into his top hat. He then pulled some laces out of the bottom and tied them under his chin once it was positioned on his head. Better safe than sorry when it came to his hat. He soon joined in the water and all five of them were travelling along towards the Lobsters. Eight was definitely the most uncomfortable. He could just imagine the tea giving out halfway through and him sinking down into the water, far enough that the others couldn't salvage him. Just the thought was making him start to panic.

He didn't start to feel heavy again until he was right near the Lobsters. He stroked as fast as he could but made no progress. As Six grasped ahold of one of the Lobsters and looked back he could see the problem; in his panicking Eight was thrashing instead of swimming. At this rate he was going to sink. He felt his own concern take over and he called back. "Eight, you're almost here! Keep going!" Two and Wonderland Eight now noticed and the latter called, "Pull yourself together, you got this!" With Two continuing with, "The sooner you get here the sooner you'll be safe!"

Finally Eight started to swim again, though now he was just slightly dipping under the water, and Six looked on in terror. "Is- Is he going to sink?!" Before he could even be answered Eight got a burst of energy and managed to make it the last way, gripping onto a Lobster that was able to hold him. "You did it! See, it wasn't that hard." The Lobster beamed and Eight resisted the slight urge to say something in retort; he felt too tired to do so. Five arrived and the Lobsters began to ferry them the rest of the way to the island. It took a while and during the trip the setting sun dropped further, turning the orange sky a darker navy.

It would be dark once they reached the island, but as Six remembered it was perpetually dark on the island, so he doubted that it would matter. Then they would rescue Nine and continue on their journey. _"Wherever we go next…"_ Six thought before adding in, _"Where do we go next? If we get there and save Nine, and stop the Wockyworks, does that end our adventure?"_ He was confused at how simple it all seemed and wondered if it would just end. " _But that's good… I didn't want to come back for something like this, something terrible happening and everything, so I should be happy it's almost over."_

Part of Six felt guilty; he was enjoying this too much. Even with the scare at the Diamond Kingdom he loved being here and he loved being some sort of a hero, but Six's heroics were just as mismatched as he was. He doubted that he truly did anything without the rest of the group's insistence. He slouched against the Lobster. _"…But wait."_ Suddenly he slowly began to straighten again as his mind pulled itself free of its own pit, " _The scepter… I thought that maybe Child had it, but the scepter- Would it have caused the change at the Diamond Kingdom?"_

His mind raced as he remembered the facts One had told him about the scepter. The others knew this, they knew that this was why the Diamond Kingdom had fallen apart, but now that Six really thought about it he realized that the scepter was still in immediate use. The paper, the ink, the trap; may it be the Jabberwocky or someone else the scepter was currently in use, and either they were able to use the power from far distances, or else, _"They're following us…"_ He suddenly felt cold and the warm sea did nothing to help it. He wanted to pass off his thoughts as the ravings of a desperate Stitchpunk, but couldn't.

To Six's horror he had gotten his own wish; this small adventure was suddenly much bigger, and much more terrifying.

* * *

 **Mable: I actually didn't think the dancing would go on as long as it did. XD But at the same time, you can't have enough dancing Lobsters. That's just how life works. I hope everyone enjoyed! The next chapter should be finished shortly!  
Note: The name of the herb is simply Water Confidence. Nothing special or anything other than directly promoting swimming. **


	9. It was a Boojum

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter of the Wonderland saga! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Nine: It was a Boojum_

Finally the group arrived at the Jabberwock's island. The Lobsters took them to the shore before hurrying back out to sea. The group waved and thanked them before facing the dark forest. "Alright…" Wonderland Eight began, pulling down his helmet to shield his face. "Keep a look out for Boojums and Bandersnatches, and especially Snarks." Six cocked a brow and questioned this, "Uh… Snarks?" The hearts guard shrugged, "Hey, we're out here anyway, ought to find a Snark and make a few bits in gold." Now Five looked amused, "Find a Snark? I doubt it! We don't even have a proper soap to charm it with!"

"You've got to have thimbles or forks somewhere on all that stuff you're carrying." The guard continued and now Six chimed in again, looking to Two, "I thought that Snarks turned out to be Boojums." Two corrected this, "Ah, the only Snark that ever was caught was a Boojum, but there is reason to believe that other Snarks do exist. We have found the Bathing-Machines to prove it." Suddenly Eight stopped in his tracks, "What in the hell are you all even talking about?" He was entirely exasperated, "There's no such thing as a Snark. A Snark's, like… A person who makes comments."

"No, that's someone whose snarky." Two pointed out in a teaching way, "And usually they are cynical." He then looked to Five who pulled a handful of thimbles from his pocket, "Huh, I guess I do have extra thimbles. Now we need forks and hope." Eight scoffed at this, "There's no hope for us. Look at what we're walking into." He gestured into the dark bog that they were beginning to enter. A few quiet moments passed before Two chimed in, "Now that would be a cynical comment." Six got a joking smile and added in, "So Eight is the Snark! No wonder no one could find it, he wasn't even here!"

Eight gave a small leer of annoyance that didn't manage to spoil Six's small smirk. "I should have known." Wonderland Eight casually added in, "Now I'm going to have to sell myself for gold. What's the world coming to?" Yet right after he said this there was a splashing noise nearby and Eight stood to attention, "Hear that?" He asked and his counterpart grew serious, "Yeah… There's something nearby." Two pulled out and flipped open his lance while Five pulled off his harpoon, Six stood there without a weapon of his own. Eight approached the bushes shielding where the noise came and pushed them open with his knife.

Past the bushes was a small pool of water that looked more like a large puddle than a pond. There was something floating on the water that looked a brown or black color. He leaned a little closer. "What did those Boojums look like?" He whispered back before poking the creature. It suddenly burst alight in color and took into the air with a shrill cry, spreading long, colorful wings and revealing itself as some sort of bird. Eight only had a second to lean back before it was suddenly upon him, beating its wings on him in a relatively weak attack. "Get off of me!" Eight bellowed, trying to shove the aggressive bird off of him.

Five fired at it and clipped its feathers slightly as a warning. While it wasn't really affected much, the bird got the message and with another shriek started to fly off, its colors fading and turning it a brown again. "Goodness me, are you okay?!" Two asked in alarm and Eight sputtered out, "That was a giant bird…" Six was alarmed too and came forward, "Can I check?" He wasn't even the healer and still looked over the Guard who was still in shock, "You look okay. There aren't any scratches or anything." Eight nodded and rubbed his head before Five gasped.

"I think that might have been a Jubjub bird! I didn't know they changed colors!" Two looked after what direction it went. "Neither did I! This is an excellent finding! Perhaps we- Five!" His voice turned to horror as he looked back at his younger apprentice, "Five, behind you!" The Mad Hatter gasped and spun around only to catch when looked like a pillar of mud disappearing into the water. Eight straightened to his feet while Wonderland Eight moved forward more threateningly, "Boojum!" He growled and Two grabbed ahold of his arm, "Wait." He warned and they all went still.

"There could be more than one… They might not become aggressive yet." He looked around warily, "We'll keep out optics out and we need to move quickly and quietly." Two was afraid that if they engaged one that the others would join in and hoped they could get by. Slowly the group began to cross through the bog, the sound of movement all around the group as they approached the factory. Midway through their journey they came upon a large secluded area of the bog. In the center were many small chasms that almost looked like cracks in the dirt like cracks would appear in glass. Murky water filled them and Two sighed.

"Boojums may be hiding in the mud. We can't fall in, so we'll have to be careful. One wrong step… And we'll be dragged under." He started to inch along, stepping over a small crack and leading a thin trail through the dirt. Wonderland Eight was about to go when Eight stopped him, "Hold on… Is that going to hold us?" The other large male looked down, doubting it and exhaling, "Probably not… Two, we're going to have to go around." The White Rabbit looked back towards the two. "I think it might be safe if we move-."

Suddenly a black mess that looked like oil or sludge broke from one of the separated cracks, forming a Stitchpunk-like hand and grasping onto Two's ankle. It gave a yank and started to pull him backwards, Two stopped himself by stabbing his lance into the dirt. "Two!" Five cried in horror and dashed over before a small, mud made figure appeared beside him too, leaping at him and clutching his leg. Five tried to kick it off only for it to sluggishly slide along his leg. Six rushed by, going oddly ignored by the creature, and rushed to Two's side before digging his pen tipped fingers into the arms tightly.

Now Eight and Wonderland Eight started to rush over, but were stopped quickly. Wonderland Eight quickly had the ground crumble from underneath him and crashed into the pool of filthy water, sputtering loudly. Eight leaned over to grab him before hearing a distorted cry. It almost sounded like the Jubjub bird, and as soon as Eight looked upwards he realized why. A dark form was shifting into a partially bird like appearance, its long arms dripping muck that turned into feathers and its neck lengthening, while still keeping a Stitchpunk head.

It let out a shrill cry, one that sounded slightly more like the bird, and flew forward onto Eight. Eight's feet dug into the ground and he wrestled with the creature. Two, meanwhile, was still getting dragged down. Five knocked the small Boojum away before helping Two, grabbing him under the arms and yanking back. There was an irritated growl from another Boojum which formed one of its hands into a sharp point, stabbing it into Five's side. The Healer gave a cry and flinched back, his arm knocking into the lever on Two's hat. The spoon section opened and the wire ears popped out, springing to life.

The sudden light from the coils caused a reaction from the Boojums. All of them suddenly jumped back in alarm, the arms, the masses moved back from the light. Six noticed this and suddenly got an idea, grabbing a match out of Five's quiver and reaching into his pocket. Wonderland Eight managed to get to his feet and stumbled over towards Eight only to be grabbed on the ankle. Eight, meanwhile, got his knife between him and the Boojum bird. He stabbed it with the knife and the Boojum cried out, but as its body shifted shape around the knife Eight realized that it had done nothing.

Then there was a flash of light and a bright popping noise. The Boojum jumped back with a shriek, its muck body starting to disappear into the mucky water. Another flash and more of the figures flinched back before melting into the shade of the trees. Six watched them move back before lighting another fire cracker. This final one seemed to full clear the area and he looked around with paranoia, "I have more! Stay back!" The bog went quiet and the Boojums who had been so aggressive had now vanished. Wonderland Eight swore and tried to clean some of the mud off of him, "They aren't supposed to be this vicious."

"Boojums… Boojums can be like this if they're riled… I've never seen them hunt in such a large pack, hunting a group our size." Two admitted and started to open Five's jacket to peer in at the wound. "Show me how bad it is." Five winced, but murmured insistently, "I'm alright. It's… It's nothing." By now Two got his coat open and inside he could see a very small tear on Five's front. Five gave a relieved exhale, "See? Nothing." Two was relieved as well, but grew worried, "We'll need to put a stitch in it and fully heal it whenever we get back to the White Kingdom. We don't want a chance of poisoning."

Eight, meanwhile, strode over to Six's side and oddly enough found the need to speak, "That was a good decision back there." Six smiled at the larger almost uncomfortably, mostly because of what they had dealt with. "It was nothing. I noticed they didn't like Two's light so I did what I had to." He looked at the remaining firecrackers, "But thank you. You decided to buy them, so I had them to use." Suddenly Eight broke in again, "Stop doing that. Stop giving other people credit for what you do." He instructed in a firm, but not aggressive voice. The command surprised the Artist who stared back at him.

"Okay…" he quietly pointed out and Eight further commanded, "And another thing; you don't have to act this quiet all the time. It's like you're afraid to say or do things even when you know what you need to do." Six was baffled again. "I… Alright." He smiled at the larger male, "I will. I'll do it." Eight smiled back and Six felt a ripple of delight inside of him. It was suddenly interrupted by Wonderland Eight addressing everyone, "We need to get moving. Eventually they'll muster their courage and come back looking for a fight. How far is the factory?" Five answered him, "Not very far. You can already smell smoke."

Indeed the smell signaled something very close by and the group continued on their way towards the factory. The factory was just as Six and Five remembered it, though with quite a few more Wockyworks rushing in and out from holes in the exterior. The front entrance was open and relatively unguarded. "It looks like a trap." Wonderland Eight suggested, but Two disagreed, "I don't even think he expects anyone to come. Or that they'll make it by the Boojums." He began to creep forward, Five hesitantly grasping his arm and following the lead as they entered into the factory.

It didn't take them long to find Nine inside the factory, creeping behind rubble and metal parts laying sprawled about until they got towards the back of the room. Nine had been overpowered shortly after being confronted by the Fabrication Stitchpunk and had been placed in a bird cage by the Wockyworks. Unlike the one at the old factory it was suspended in the air some ways and gave the male a good view. His captor was now distracted by working on an injured Wockywork and was ignoring him entirely. The zippered male stopped caring when he noticed the others approaching and waved to them.

Six and Eight were probably more relieved than any of the others, but as Six started forwards Eight stopped him. The Artist looked to him in confusion before looking back to Nine who was nodding, then pointing to something nearby. He was pointing to Child; warning them about him. Five crept over and peered around the corner before lightly gasping, "It's Child!" He looked at the others, "And I think he might be like Cat was!" Wonderland Eight looked over towards Eight and Six, "Cat? The Cheshire Cat? What was going on with him?" There was a clanking noise nearby and Five dropped down before peering out again.

It wasn't from Child and he didn't seem to care, so Five assumed that it was from one of the Wockyworks. "Five, keep an eye out and we'll get him down." Two instructed before looking upwards to Nine, "Nine, hang on." He tried to keep his voice even and low so that it wasn't detected and pointed out the chain that hung down and wrapped in a coil, keeping him raised. Eight gave a nod and rushed over with Wonderland Eight following. Eight grabbed ahold of the chain, "Start unwinding." He instructed his other self who got a grip and did so. Once it was unwound they were stuck holding the weight of the cage.

Slowly they started to lower Nine, somehow managing to lower it even though it was taking all of their strength. Suddenly Five waved an arm back wildly, "Wait, wait!" He whispered harshly and they stopped, grunting at the weight they were forced to hold. Five watched as Child seemed to hesitate and looked back. He twitched awkwardly before shaking his head and looking back to his work. It was like he was struggling against something and Five seemed to start putting pieces together. "He is being controlled by something… But they- But wouldn't he control the Cheshire Cat?"

As Five hadn't seen Cat's behavior in person he couldn't put everything together yet, but looked back to the others and waved them on. The Guards began to lower the cage once more. Soon it touched the ground and now Six came forward. "Six, your key won't work." Nine pointed out and Six gave an amused look, "I know. But these do." He waved his fingers and peered at the lock on the door before slipping a sharp finger in to gently feel around the tumblers inside. There was a soft clicking, then another, and finally the lock popped open and Six pulled his hand back, shaking it out.

Nine sprung free from the cage and quickly pulled Six in for a one armed hug before lightly shaking him with a wide smile, "Thanks." He honestly thanked and Six was slightly surprised, but beamed back even as Nine grew serious. "Guys, that thing in here-." Now Wonderland Eight interrupted, "You mean the Jabberwock." Nine hesitated and stared before Two spoke, "Let's just get you out of here and then we can confront Child ourselves." Eight smirked down at Nine, "Yeah, now you have to go out and sit with the Boojums."

Nine didn't get to ask as they were guided over to the front. However, they were suddenly brought to an abrupt halt as they realized that the heavy doors in the front were closed. "You're kidding me." Eight muttered and Nine looked around in paranoia before calling out, "He's here. He's there!" Five the blurted out, "He's everywhere!" Nine looked over at him, unimpressed. "Uh, sorry, force of habit." He then looked over before sputtering, "Wait, he really is there!"

Child was now standing about twenty feet away, watching them in an aggressive posture. This wasn't the Child that Six remembered and he knew something was wrong. "Child…?" The male glared at the group before looking towards Nine, "Let him go." He suddenly commanded in a growl and Five blinked, "Let him go? Child, what are you-?" The albino male became aggressive very quickly, pulling a blade from a sheath on his back, "Release him!" Eight and Wonderland Eight both unsheathed their knives again and Two raised his spear.

"Child, now let's just calm down. I don't think you realize exactly what's going on and you might be scared…" Nine leaned forward and whispered to Six and Five, "I'm not going back in the cage… Would the Talisman scare him off?" Five shrugged and Six shook his head, "No, Nine, not now. If he- If it- Keep it hidden!" His voice became a bit louder in desperation. He looked to go see if Child was paying attention, but he didn't seem to care. Instead he suddenly barreled forward. "Child, stop!" Two cried out, but followed with an 'oomph!' as a machine arm shoved him out of the way.

Child was going for Nine and Six was the only thing between them. Six raised his hands as Nine cried out, focusing briefly and feeling a surge of shock as Child was pushed back a short way by an invisible force. Eight growled and dove forwards and brought his knife down heavily. Child slid back easily before forcing a machine claw down onto the top of the knife, using the leverage to lift himself over and dive at Six and Nine. Nine jumped back, dragging Six with him, and Wonderland Eight jumped before them. Child went straight at the other Eight, attempting to swing at him with his sword.

Wonderland Eight blocked with his knife and Five went to pull out his harpoon, "How do we stop him?!" Eight started coming forward with his knife, raising it, "We'll just handle it like we did with Cat." Six suddenly jumped out from his hiding spot, "Wait, no!" A deflected sword attack nearly struck him and he leapt out of the way. He stumbled briefly before crying out to Eight, "Eight, if you take his head off he'll die! He's not like Cat!" He pleaded with the larger, "This isn't him, there's got to be another way!"

Two stumbled to his feet and blurted out, "Maybe we could try to knock him out. Five, pull out a pepper pack. Maybe if I put some soothing tea on it and mustard we could-!" Now Eight bellowed out, "No time! You, Eight, other Eight, hold him down!" Child was going for Nine, machine arms sliding around the larger male and trying to grab ahold of Nine. Nine stepped backwards and held his Lightstaff out while Wonderland Eight used his body to wrestle the Jabberwock down. Eight raised his knife over and behind him. "Eight, wait!" Six cried out, getting in front of him, and he was shoved out of the way.

There was a thunk as his knife hit the ground behind him and he grabbed ahold of his magnet, bringing it back forward again and shoving it down onto the Jabberwock's head. Child's optics flickered with electricity and his eyes grew a brighter red, he cried out in a strange, not understandable language. Yet as this happened the magnet was pressed down. Slowly the red was replaced with ruby singed static and soon afterwards Child went unconscious and limp. Finally Eight pulled the magnet back and replaced it on his back before grabbing his knife off of the ground. "So what are we missing?" He demanded.

"That is the question!" Two added in and hummed, "He has never acted this outlandish before. At first I assumed some retaliation after Nine and Seven eloped, but this- This is not him." Now Five also added in, "The… The Wockyworks didn't even come… Shouldn't they have come since we did this to their leader?! It's like they don't even care!" This was true and confusing. Six approached the albino male and looked over him. Child looked relatively the same, though had some additional clothing; a white dress shirt topped with a red vest, pinstriped black pants, and saddle shoes. The cape was the same.

As Six crouched beside the male he was suddenly grabbed by Wonderland Eight who pulled him to his feet. "Careful. Who knows what he'll do in this state." He started to lead Six, somewhat reluctantly, away from the unconscious male. Nine crouched down to look over Child's body hesitantly, studying his frame. "So if it's not him… Then who is it?" He asked the others and they hesitated. Six decided to speak, "I think… I think Child doesn't have the scepter. The one that changed landscapes?"

Suddenly Two sputtered and looked to Five, "Five, quick, run to the Machine- Oh, never mind, you're injured. You rest here and I'll go check the Machine!" He ran off quickly, nearly hopping over rubble. Nine now looked to Five, "You're injured?" Five waved it off, "Boojums. It's not a big deal." Wonderland Eight snorted in amusement, "Not nearly as scary as some of the _birds_ around here." At this moment Eight glared at his other self in a mix of annoyance and a tinge of amusement, "Hey, you didn't have that bird flying at your face."

Nine looked to Six in questioning and the striped male gave an amused smile, "Uh… It's a long story, and it involves Lobsters and dancing, and fire crackers." Eight suddenly chimed in, "And Six saving our backsides." Wonderland Eight nodded in agreement with his counterpart and Six smiled wider before looking back to Nine, "I saved out backsides." Nine smiled at him and curiously started, "Did you-?" He was cut off by a small groan from the Jabberwock beneath him. He suddenly stood and backed a few step away.

"Watch out. He's already coming to." Nine warned and Eight pulled off his magnet again, "I've got it under control if he pulls anything." Another groan passed by and Five crouched down beside Child, leaning close to his face. "He is coming to. Maybe we can get some answers." Right as he said this Child's optics opened and his arm flopped around awkwardly, "Gah…" He said in confusion and a weary voice, pushing the male away weakly, "What- Five- What are you doing in here?" He sounded already exasperated and Five was delighted.

"Child, thank goodness! You're back to normal!" He looked upwards to the others briefly before moving back so that Child could sit upwards, the male massaging his head with his hand as his Machine arms started to pull into his back and disappear. Wonderland Eight put his knife away and crouched down as well, "Jabberwocky?" The albino muttered a correction, "Jabberwock." And attempted to start standing, gripping onto Five's shoulder to keep from falling over. "What's going on here? Why were you attacking us?" the heart guard asked.

Child stared for a few seconds before quietly murmuring, "I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about." Nine was baffled and insisted, "But you attacked us and you _kidnapped_ me! You don't remember anything?!" He was no longer afraid and now willing to challenge, and Child stared at him before his face contorted in surprise. He paused for a few seconds before offering, "Let me guess… None? Nine's twin?" Nine blinked in confusion and Child continued, "Strange… I always expected you to be a Rabbit as well." Nine would've corrected him, but instead was too confused at himself having a twin.

"Child." Six announced himself and before he continued Child started, "Six? You… You returned?" Now he was confused and Six smiled and nodded. "Down the Rabbit Hole again. I brought Eight and Nine- My Eight and Nine. The ones from my world." He gestured to them both somewhat eagerly, as though proud that he was able to bring someone with him to see. Eight still was eyeing Child suspiciously while Nine was just staring in confusion. Child stared back at the latter in surprise, looking over him, "Creator, this is uncanny… And remarkably disturbing." Nine gave a slight, crooked smile, "Same here."

Two suddenly hopped back into the area looking frantic, "I've figured it out. Why Child and Cat were like they were. Why the Wockyworks continue to work when the Jabberwock was unconscious." Child glanced upwards to see his beasts still working and murmured, "Cat as well?" The others moved in and Two looked to Six, "You were smart to point out the staff, or scepter. The part that was inside the Jabberwocky's body, the reason we believed the Jabberwock was who was behind this, is missing! If someone has that part then they may be controlling all Wockywork kind!" Nearly everyone gasped.

"Wait, wait." Wonderland Eight started, "But if that's the case then why didn't they fix that mess out there? Those Boojums were angry, but they were normal angry, and the bog looked the same as it used to." He seemed suspicious and Two paused before adding in, "Maybe the staff cannot change the bog. It's so unstable as it is…" He was grasping at straws and now Nine tried, "Or maybe it already changed what it wanted." The others looked to the young male whose optics shrunk in suspicion, furrowing his brows and humming, "It all makes some sense."

"What does?" Six offered with a thirst for answers about this strange being. "Well, you see…" Nine began, "What I'm thinking is that this is an alternate distraction. Think about it, the person with the scepter is obviously changing the kingdoms, but changing the island doesn't need doing. It's already unstable and uninhabited, and not trusted by the rest of Wonderland." He pointed out in explanation, becoming more confident in his theory, "So they use the Wockyworks to attack! One; as simple and easy grunts. Two; to distract the other kingdoms from the real threat."

Everyone was surprised at Nine's revelation, but was in agreement that he was correct. It was then that Child chimed in, "I think the first step is to figure out where Nine and the White queen are being held." Five looked to him in confusion, "Child, you saw the letter, right?" Child got a confident look and retorted to Five. "Five, now I think you know Nine well enough to know that if he did decide to marry her, _and completely lose his mind,_ " His voice took another unsteady tone at this comment, "He would have at least had you there. He wouldn't be desperate enough to do it alone."

Five hesitated before nodding, "That's true… I thought it was weird that Nine would just leave like that… But you got the letter?" Child nodded and Five pulled out a small tin of candies to calm his nerves before rubbing his side sorely. "I did. The messenger brought it shortly before everything goes black. I managed to read it." He began to go through his vest pockets and Wonderland Eight inquired, "Was it… One's messenger?" He seemed uncertain in his own question and Child shrugged, "I'm not sure why it would be… Here it is." He pulled out the letter and scanned over it again before nodding.

"Not his, and now I can prove it." He looked directly towards Nine who still felt slightly uneasy. "You and Nine are different Stitchpunks, you lack his ears and tail, and perhaps more, but look at this letter and tell me that you would have written it." Nine took the letter and scanned over it. Basically it said in simplest terms that he had ran away to elope with the White Queen, he referred to her directly as Seven, and didn't know if he would ever be back. The end referred to the Jabberwock as Child, so the names were correct, but something else seemed rather off. "…No… This wasn't written by me."

Nine folded the letter and handed it back, "Feelings for Seven aside, I wouldn't have left everyone to be with her. I _couldn't_ leave everyone to be with her, and this letter makes it sound like I didn't plan on coming back. Didn't you say I had a twin?" Two perked and hummed, "That is right… Wait, wait! If None, your twin, got this letter then he would have definitely come to us to find him. Any of his other siblings would as well. Yet they didn't." Now Nine chimed in, "Ah ha! And what is the chances that a kidnapper knew I- He had a twin brother when he lived somewhere else?"

"So we're in agreement." Wonderland Eight announced, "Nine and Seven were kidnapped by someone who's looking for the scepter, but why?" Strangely enough the answer came directly from Six. "We all know that the White King can't run the kingdom without his sister. She was kidnapped because she was the one who ruled the White Kingdom." Wonderland Eight nodded, "Sounds alright. Nine?" Eight remarked from behind him in amusement, "You know Nine. He might have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time." Both Eights smirked at Nine in amusement.

"Most likely Nine is the alibi." Child chimed in as though defending Nine, though immediately followed with, "Or Nine went to play hero and got captured. That's happened plenty of times." He rolled his optics and Nine gave a light glare before looking to the others, "How do we find them?" A few moments passed before Five chimed in, "I have an idea! It's a little mad, but it might work!" He beamed confidently and put his tin away in his pocket, "There's a Library in the Nook that has a book that is able to tell you where Stitchpunks are! You just have to be of really close relation, but since Nine _is_ Nine-."

"Five, you're a genius!" Nine insisted and Two added in, "And a perfectly mad one to boot! Only someone mad would remember something like that." He both teased and prided over his apprentice. Now Child chimed in, "I have a boat. We'll cross back to the mainland… It's no longer safe here…" He looked saddened and started off into the back, the others beginning to follow. Five chimed in, "Why don't you join us, Child? We were just talking about getting a snark to join us." He joked and Child gave an unimpressed look while Nine winced at the suggestion, reluctantly keeping his opinion out of it.

Eight prepared to follow when Six suddenly fell behind, "Eight…" He started quietly, "I need your help." Eight raised a brow and Six insisted, "I need to tell you something and I want you to say that I'm crazy, that I'm wrong." This was a strange comment. "What?" Eight asked in confusion and Six insisted, "I just… I need it, okay?" Eight shrugged a bit and nodded, "Shoot." Six softly explained, "I have this feeling, this bad feeling, that I'm here- That we're here because someone wants us here…" His brows shifted in fear, "Eight, I think the person doing this… I think maybe they're coming after me too. The Diamond Kingdom-."

He cut off and looked over towards the others. Shockingly Eight grasped his shoulder and aimed him towards him, "I knew it… Something happened back at the Kingdom. You don't usually vanish. What's going on?" he stared straight at the smaller who didn't feel able to lie, but not able to speak the truth either. It felt like hundreds of optics were locked on him, staring at him, eyeing him. "I'll tell you…" Six began before biting his lip, "But not yet. Once we get to safety. I think we're being watched…"

He couldn't tell if it was paranoia or not and looked to Eight, "Please, just… Tell me they aren't after me. Even If it's no true; I need it out of my head." Eight stared at the younger before insisting, "They aren't after you. You can stop worrying." It was as though a heavy burden was lifted from the striped male's shoulders. He desperately clung to that reassurance. "Thank you." He gave a small smile and followed after the others, taking the trouble from his mind.

Though now it was in Eight's.

* * *

 **Mable: Will Six tell Eight about what happened? Who's the person behind all of this and why would they be shifting Wonderland? All to be explained soon, and the next chapter is on its way! I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	10. A Night Inn

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Ten: A Night Inn_

The boat ride was much shorter than the swimming as it was a motorized boat that they rode. Child manned the steering on the back as the others sat around and dealt with the sprays of salt water. Two enjoyed it a bit more than everyone else did. They made their way back to the beach to briefly stop and collect their things that were left behind, then continued along the coast with the boat. They decided to skip past the White Kingdom entirely and stopped at a small port Nook of the kingdom. By now it was late and dark out, and the Stitchpunks were already worn down.

Almost immediately after they stepped off the boat Five bowed over and panted a little. "Can we- Can we set up camp?" He was clutching his side and Two came in closer in concern, "Is that bothering you?" The Mad Hatter nodded slightly, "A little." The White Rabbit was discouraged by this and hummed before insisting, "Let's find an inn. I can pay for it." Nobody argued and after Child hid his boat they went to find one. The Fish in a Kettle inn was the one they finally stumbled upon and entered inside of. Two quickly went to the front counter to haggle with a Stitchpunk with fins down its arms and a blue complexion.

The others sat and waited relatively patiently until he returned. "I managed to get a couple of rooms for us. Two double rooms and a three bed one. We'll figure out how to sort those." He paused before remarking, "Five, I would like you with me. It'll give me a chance to watch that wound." He insisted with a tone that showed he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Nine looked towards Six, "I guess maybe we should share." Six nodded until Eight suddenly spoke, "Actually… Six'll take one of the doubles with me." Nine's brows raised before furrowing in suspicion.

"When have you ever wanted to share with Six?" He asked and Six almost wanted to not get a room with Eight so that he wouldn't have to talk about what happened, but he caved and exhaled. "No, Nine, it's okay. We'll be fine." He gave a smile of reassurance and Wonderland Eight finished, "Then I'll stay with Two and Five and you can stay with Child." Nine sputtered, "What?!" He looked over towards the taller male before glancing to Child who was standing nearby, looking into a small kitchen. "He tried to kidnap me! It doesn't help that he's strange too!" Child chimed in from across the room, "I'm also not deaf."

Nine murmured lower, "Like that. That's what I mean." Wonderland Eight rolled his optics at the younger, "Look, I need to watch Two. He's king, it's my job, and he wants to stay with Five, and other me wants to stay with Six, so you have to stay with Child. If he does anything then just shine your lightstaff on him." Nine looked back towards Six and Eight again before Wonderland Eight continued, "Leave them. They'll be fine." He assured. "Of course you'd say that. He's you." Nine pointed out in exasperation and Eight gave a smug look, "Yeah, small world, huh? It's a shame you don't have the March Hare to back you."

Two handed out the keys and the Stitchpunks climbed the stairs before entering their chosen rooms. They were nice little rooms with quilt covered beds with brass frames. Six crossed over to the farthest one to the window and peered out, seeing down into the street and the lit streetlamps along the road. Suddenly the door closed and he could hear the thumping footsteps. He hesitated before looking back, watching as Eight sat down on the farther bed which creaked under his weight. The male exhaled with tiredness that Six usually didn't hear and started to remove his clothing.

He tossed the clothing onto a wooden chest at the foot of the bed. The Guard stretched a bit and tossed his knife down as well. Once it was beside the bed he looked directly towards Six. "Alright." He announced and the striped male looked downwards, clutching his key tightly before murmuring, "I… I guess you want to know." Eight nodded, "That's the plan." He looked straight to the Artist and waited for him to answer. Six exhaled and slowly sat down on the opposite bed before looking towards Eight, biting his lip and clutching his key.

"I-I'm a little anxious." He admitted and Eight nodded, "Relax. We're safe in here. There's people all around us, walls, doors, and nobody knows we're here except us." He encouraged, but could see that the smaller was still disturbed. He exhaled and went to stood, "Here, I'll secure the door and the windows. Will that make you feel better?" The smaller nodded and Eight crossed around to lock the door and the two windows. Once he was finished he looked back to the striped one who was taking off his clothing. Maybe it was because he hadn't see it for a while, but Eight stared at the revealed stripes.

He crossed back over and sat down on the bed, looking to Six once again. "We're completely secure in here. Come on, Six, it's time you stopped hiding things." Six nodded in agreement before exhaling, "I know… That morning I came out to find a letter left to me about drawing supplies. I know now it was a fake, but then I thought it was real, and headed into the trees to find them. When I got a few feet from camp I found a stream of ink and a tree of paper. Then I stepped out past the bushes and found, just, a world of paper and ink."

Eight's brows raised and Six exhaled softly, "It was… Perfect. I went deeper into a tunnel of thorns and paper flowers, to the steps of a castle. I had the thought to go inside until I- I realized that there was a diamond on the wall. It was the Diamond Kingdom, but there was still- There was a voice in my head telling me to go home. I know everyone thinks that I am insane, but I don't hear voices, and these thoughts weren't mine." He was almost fearful to admit this to Eight and feared that the large male would think he was crazy.

Yet Eight simply listened with a slow nod as though he was paying deep attention. Six almost felt a slight, delighted warmth in his center. Eight was listening and believing him. Yet at the same time there was a coldness as he had to accept what happened. "As I escaped it tried to attack me with vines and paper and- And everything disappeared and I could see the destroyed town! One of the vines became wire, barbed wire, and it wrapped around my ankle, and I could hear you all so I tried to grab a rock, but it was out of reach!" He begins to blurt out with more excitement and terror, Eight listening with a look of shock.

"A-A-And then- Then I couldn't reach the rock, but I used that tugging thing I've been able to do and got it close enough! I grabbed it and struck the barbed wire over and over until it gave way and I rushed to you and the others!" He stopped, gasping and beginning to pant softly at his ramble, and Eight paused, "Wait, wait. Go back a few steps. What tugging thing?" Six's mismatched optics widened. He hadn't expected to slip and certainly never expected Eight to catch it quicker than he did. "Umm…" He paused before quietly adding in, "I've been moving things… With my mind."

Eight stared blankly, Six stared back, and finally the Guard asked, "What?" Six gave an embarrassed smile of slight amusement, "I don't know what it's called, but I've done it a few times… And I'm able to do more with it." Suddenly Eight reached towards the ground and felt around. "What are you doing?" Six asked in paranoia and Eight responded quickly, "Let's test this out. I'll need something small…" Six reached over to his over shirt and started to go into the pocket, pulling out his tiny hedgehog toy. "Maybe this?" Eight stopped looking and now started watching him again. "Show me."

A light nervousness filled Six, but he complied, setting the plush on the bed and trying to move it. It took a few seconds to regain control of the tugging but just as before he was able to get a grip on it, and with a sudden tug the plush was brought towards him. He continued to pull until it was brought over his leg and rested in his lap. He smiled a little and looked to Eight, "What do you think?" The Guard leaned back a little bit, "Whoa…" This was on a whole different level of weirdness. This sort of thing was different then everything else, it didn't seem like it even belonged in Wonderland.

"Is this… A Wonderland thing or a home thing?" Eight offered to clarify and Six bit his lip, "I… I don't know really." He admitted before looking to the toy in her sharp fingers. A few moments passed until Eight suddenly spoke, "Look, I don't know anything about that, but everything else-… If the person doing this really did try to take you then there's a reason." Six looked fearful, "So… So you do think that maybe they're coming after me?" Eight didn't respond for a few seconds and instead just stared at the wall.

"Eight?" Six nearly pleaded and finally Eight looked to him and responded, "I don't know… But we'll have to watch our backs from now on. I sort of thought we'd be ignored, since we're not from around here, but that's obviously not the case anymore. You should've said something." Six nodded slowly before defending himself lightly, "I was afraid that it- he- they would come after me harder if I told everyone about what happened. To quiet me." Eight lightly flinched and rubbed his head tiredly, "That's… That's not going to happen. I'll make sure of it."

Slowly Six laid down on the bed, stretching out onto it wearily and exhaling softly. A few moments passed before Eight stood, "I'll be right back." Six suddenly straightened quickly, "Wait!" He called out and Eight looked back. The smaller was a little embarrassed and looked downwards. "I just… I don't want to be alone." Eight stared before nodding in agreement, "Let me just step into the hall to check on the others, alright? I won't go anywhere." Six almost reluctantly nodded and watched as the Guard headed to the door and peered out. Ironically Nine was standing in the hall, talking down the stairs to someone.

"Hey." Eight spoke and Nine jumped before looking back, "Oh, hey! How's everything?" Eight looked back to the door slowly, "Six is a little shaken…" He tried to figure out what to say, whether to say what Six said, and finally decided to be quick, "Something happened back at the Diamond Kingdom. He's fine." He added the last part when Nine looked concerned and continued, "But he's pretty freaked out about it… Look, I'm watching him for the night. You'll have to hold your own." The male put on a brave face and looked over towards his room where Child already was, "…I can… Here, take this to him."

He handed over a tin of scones. "Two was making them with tea. Maybe it'll make him feel better." Eight nodded and took them. From the smell of them they would make him feel better too. He headed back into the room while Nine entered into his own. The two beds were seated comfortably by each other and Child was sitting by the door reading. He paused to look at Nine who had a firm look, staring at him. Then Nine stepped closer and announced, "I'm taking this bed." It would have been thoroughly brave and insistent, if not for his voice cracking halfway through.

Eight entered back into his room with Six who was waiting. The smaller looked tired and merely watched as the larger entered back in. Eight flopped down on his own bed, opening the tin to take a scone for himself, "These are yours by the way." He pointed out and looked over, "You look tired." Six closed his optics and corrected, "I'm exhausted." A small tug of amusement played at Eight's marked lips. "Then sleep. I'm not going anywhere." Yet Six couldn't sleep as easily as Eight liked to suggest. He was tired, certainly tired, but shutting his mind off was another story when he was afraid.

"Eight…" He dared to start, quite embarrassed, "Can I…? You know…" Eight raised a brow, "Know what?" Six sat upwards, "You know…" He looked to the bed with interest. The Guard raised his brows before getting a briefly amused look. Six felt a blush grow and was almost ready to lay back down and ignore the idea entirely. Instead Eight finished, "Fine." He moved over on the bed and watched as Six practically leapt into it from his own. "But only because you showed me that trick with the toy." Eight added in coyly and Six smiled thankfully, clutching said toy to him as he cuddled under the blankets.

For a moment Eight found himself staring at the striped male. He looked so tender, to relaxed and comforted by just lying there, almost closed optics staring back with a relaxed smile tugging at his lips. When Eight dragged him optics away he stared down at the tin of scones before offering it to Six. He wasn't really in the mood to chew on the baked goods. Instead he just felt strange, giddy and perplexed. He wasn't actually supposed to be enjoying this, especially nothing as simple and foreign as sharing a bed with Six, who was also looking back at him.

Six eventually started to nod off and closed his mismatched optics, prompting Eight to look back at him. Just studying the smaller who he once bullied and now was starting to see something different in. At the same time part of him reminded that he had always been slightly interested in how odd Six was. Six was a Wonderland in himself. Eight shook the thoughts off, " _This isn't the time or place to obsess about something like this…"_ He assured himself and leaned back on the bed, closing his own optics and relaxing, deciding to leave the lights on just in case.

He would be on guard, he would protect the little Wonderland Stitchpunk.

In the other room Two had helped Five out of his coat. The one eyed male winced a bit and rubbed his tender side. "Ah… What do you think?" The White Rabbit circled him and looked at the small wound. It hadn't changed size or look any different. "Hmm…" Wonderland Eight meanwhile sat down on the opposite bed and stretched, starting to take some of his armor off. He leaned back on the bed and rested. Two looked back to him briefly and then returned to his work, "I… Well, I'll put a stitch in it, but it'll need to be healed properly. Let me see if I have any Snark scales."

Snark scales were more specifically a types of petals that grew on a Snark Leg flower. They were frequently used to cure Boojum poison, but so far neither Two nor Five saw any side effects of such an ailment. Five encouraged him, "I don't think we'll need them, but better safe than sorry." He was rather optimistic, even when Two suddenly looked disgruntled as he searched through his bag. "I don't think I brought any… What was I thinking not bringing any when we'd be so close to the island?" He scolded himself thoroughly. Five seemed to shrug it off and so did Eight.

"I don't think it's a problem. The last guy who got Boojum poisoning had a big slice across his back. That little poke there was from a baby one, it's not going to have the poison." Two frowned, "That's what troubles me. It stands reason to believe that young Boojums are more dangerous as they cannot control what poison they do have." He suddenly noticed the dread on Five's face and quickly regained a reassuring smile. "But if that was the case you'd already show symptoms! Eight's probably right, I'm worrying over nothing, but just in case when we get home or find an herb dealer we'll apply some."

Five smiled back, glad that Two was willing to reassure him, even if he was now starting to worry. He tried to convince himself that it was fine and laid back on the bed. "I'm going to get some sleep." Two nodded, "We should all do that. We have a long day tomorrow." Five was asleep before Two even got into his own bed.

Nine's night didn't end just yet. He had headed down into the dining hall and was enjoying some time socializing with other Stitchpunks. Nine found them a bit interested in what he had to say and found himself more than eager to continue. "Then, suddenly, out of nowhere there was a crack as the Machine busted into the tunnel! We ran out, but before we could get out it lit the explosives with a gust of fire!" Two young Stitchpunks listening flinched back in fear. "We were thrown out of the cave and crashed into the rubble of the warzone!-" It was around this time when Child stepped into the dining room.

He was about to walk back out from discomfort, but that was when he started to actually catch some of what Nine was saying. "-Our Leader sacrificed leapt before me to take the attack. I rushed forward to grab the Talisman from the Machine. Either I'd get it and destroy the Machine, or I and the others would be killed…" He reached under his clothing and unzipped himself, pulling out the Talisman from inside. He knew that this was probably wrong but couldn't help but bring the proof out. He showed the circular item to the others, them giving small gasps at the sight, "But I came out in the end."

Clapping ensued directly afterwards. Child's optics immediately widened as his optics focused on the object. He sputtered and started to slide through the crowd, making it to Nine's side and grabbing his arm. Nine jumped before looking towards him and recognizing the hooded male, "Oh, hey." He was still pretty relaxed from the pleasure he got during the storytelling and thus calm. "Something wrong?" Child gave him an unimpressed look and tugged at his arm, "Come with me. Put that _thing_ away." Nine glanced to the Talisman and it suddenly clicked, "Wait, Child-."

"Come on." The albino pulled him to his feet and Nine stumbled along, smiling in a faux casual way towards the others. "Sorry guys, I'm being called! I'll have to tell you more tales later!" The young Stitchpunk twins gave waves towards the male as he soon disappeared into the stairwell. Child practically dragged him into the room, shutting the door behind him, and Nine was regretting more slipping and letting the talisman into view. He was telling the story about the dangers of the Machine and what was basically the Machine was standing right in the room with him.

"You draw far too much attention to yourself… Nine." Child pointed out firmly, almost having to force the name out. Nine stumbled back next to the bed and asked, "What do you want?" Child fought the urge to roll his optics and started to his own bed. "A little more caution from you… That's no trinket you carry." Nine quickly excused, "I carry nothing." Child gave him a dumbfounded look before murmuring, "Really, Nine?" Nine was embarrassed and instead corrected with, "Nothing important. Not here, anyway. Wonderland and our world are different." He showed the male the Talisman to get confirmation.

The Jabberwock directed his optics elsewhere and raised a hand, "Get that _thing_ away from me. Consider me a recovering addict; hide it somewhere and don't tell me where, and don't go showing it to people." He started to take of his cloak in preparation to lay down and Nine exhaled, unimpressed by the entire event. "Do you give the March Hare this much trouble?" Child hesitated and then smirked, "I like to think that I do." Nine plopped down on the bed and went to place the Talisman back inside, zipping himself closed. "You could've let me finish my story at least."

"And see your adoring listeners idolize your heroics? You already saw that. It only makes sense to stop when you're ahead." He casually shrugged as he sat down on his bed. Nine turned so that his back faced the other and slipped off his own cloak and hat, deciding just to give in and get some sleep. As he flopped onto the bed and stared at the rafters above he felt his thoughts return. "…Child, can I ask you something?" The albino looked over towards him, "Yes?" Nine fiddled his hands together. "Would… Would I have eloped? Are you certain I didn't?..." He huffed, "I don't even know myself anymore."

"It happens." Child remarked and Nine continued, "And I was so certain I knew myself fine a few days ago… But am I capable of abandoning my family for love? Then, as though that wasn't bad enough, get kidnapped while I'm doing it?" The other male smirked, "I'm not sure about you, but I'm not surprised… Considering the fact that you yourself just got kidnapped yourself." Nine gave a small smile, "Yeah, I guess, but the eloping… One seemed pretty convinced." Child moved to climb under the blankets, kicking off his saddle shoes. "Of course One would think of eloping."

Child curled into his bed and stretched a bit, "After all, One himself eloped." Nine looked over dumbstruck and turned to face him, "Wait, One eloped too?! Is this just a normal thing around here?" Child corrected, "One eloped _with_ Two, more like. It's not widely discussed anymore, but One was in an arranged marriage. They were trying to strengthen ties between Wonderland and Candyland and the only king of proper age who wasn't attached was One himself, so he agreed. The Princess, Princess Pastillage, came to Wonderland herself to arrange the wedding. The day came and the willing One went missing."

Nine was listening eagerly and Child noticed. He turned towards the male and continued. "The kingdom was in an uproar, but One finally did return with Two and a small fellowship with him. It came out then that he had been romantically involved with Two, the White Rabbit, and that they had ran off to elope. Their group helped in the ceremony; the witnesses, the priest, and such. Needless to say the Princess was shocked and at first there was a bit of an outrage from her kingdom, but it worked out on its own. The Red Kingdom is basically made of One's guards so they were fine with it. They probably already knew and liked Two."

Nine nodded; he couldn't imagine anybody who wouldn't like Two. It put a bit more in perspective and he asked, "Did you know One and Two back then?" Child shook his head, "I did not. It was a long way back, back when I wasn't the Jabberwock, and I only met them more formally in recent years. Five might have mentioned it. Or possibly Cat, I can't really remember." He looked to the lamp and inquired, "Can I turn this off?" Nine hummed in questioning before nodding, "Go ahead." The light clicked off and the room fell into darkness between them. Nine cut through it with his voice, "Can you tell me more?"

"Not much more to tell." Child admitted, "Two became the secondary king. He still carries the title of king, but his lack of noble birth still sets him under One… Not that One would argue with Two being under him." Child said that with another smirk as if he was insinuating something, something that Nine didn't catch on fully too. "They had Prince Twenty-One who is currently the knave and the heir to the throne. More recently they had Princess Twelve, recent enough that I haven't had a chance to see her. I hear that she's a Rabbit like Two."

"She's pink and she has small ears like Two does." Nine pointed out and Child nodded, "Then she's a Rabbit as well. Princess Pastillage became Queen some time back and was married a year or so later. She has a daughter so I suspect she'll return to arrange a marriage between her and Twenty-One…" He suddenly paused and reached to turn the light on. Nine looked over in confusion, "What?" Child was staring at him, or his head more like. "I just… I remembered that you didn't have ears." Nine gave a slightly embarrassed smile and Child shut the light off.

Nine was relieved to not have the male staring at him any longer. It made him feel bare and now it was starting to bring a new curiosity into his mind. Mostly questions about the March Hare and the Jabberwock. There was obviously something there, but Nine couldn't tell if it was a strange friendship or a hatred or what it was. Either way, Child knew more about than his counterpart than even he did, and that disturbed him somewhat. It wasn't like he could do anything else tonight and merely pulled the blanket over him to get some rest. He had a feeling that tomorrow would begin another long day.

He had no idea, but it was a good guess.

* * *

 **Mable: A bit of a quiet, less eventful chapter, but I thought we all needed a little breathing time. A calm before the storm if you will. 83 The storm is certainly coming quiet soon at least. I hope everyone enjoyed and the next chapter will be posted soon!**


	11. Making Tracks

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter down the Rabbit Hole! Sorry about the delay, but at least the traffic graph has finally been fixed. For the last while I was unable to see when or if anyone was reading my two newer one shots, but now that is fixed and all's well once more! (Update: The site went off again as I wrote this. XD) In the end it was a relatively quick fix so I am happy… And this is from someone whose electricity has gone out four times in the last month… Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Eleven: Making Tracks_

By the early morning Two had the Stitchpunks hiking out of the inn and along the road. The sun had only just rose and most of the Stitchpunks were still groggy. Five especially was visibly stumbling and Nine put an arm around his back to stabilize him. "Get any sleep last night?" He asked with some playfulness and mostly concern. The Mad Hatter yawned and stretched slightly only to wince at a cinch in his side, from the stitch most likely. "I thought so… Maybe I just needed a little more. Yesterday was pretty hard."

The others silently agreed and Wonderland Eight added in, "Today's probably going to be the same. You'll need to pull it together some." Strangely enough he seemed a little grouchy this morning, which was in a direct contrast with Eight who was doing fine. In fact, while neither would admit it, Six and Eight were the only ones who looked fully rested and eager to go. Two looked almost at their level of alertness, but it was hard to tell as he was keeping his face buried in the map. It was now when Six noticed the small building they were approached and looked towards Two, "Is that where we going?"

Two hummed and looked upwards before beaming. "Ah ha! Yes, finally here!" He almost cheered and hustled forward. Five and Nine followed behind, mostly because of Nine leading him, Child followed, and Wonderland Eight was the only one to explain to Six. "That's the Looking Glass train station. The trains here circle around parts of Wonderland that aren't reachable because of the Sawdust Eaters and their dead area. This is how you get to the other kingdoms." This made sense to the striped male and he perked in interest, "There's a train back in our world too. It doesn't run anymore, but the station is there."

He managed to get a small smile from the larger, but noticed that he was distressed. "What's wrong?" The hearts bodyguard shook his head and answered in a strangely standoffish manner, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." But Six couldn't help but worry. He looked back towards Eight to see if he could get any sign from him, but Eight was too busy staring at the back of his counterpart's head. Six decided to instead hurry his pace and continue onwards to the station. As they stepped inside the tiled building they were alerted to it being abuzz with Stitchpunks of all kind, even though outside it was barren and looked empty.

The front room was large with a few paths leading out to certain areas. What caught the interest of Nine and Six immediately was a model train going along a little track in the center of the room. Nine approached it with the striped male hurrying behind him, looking over the intricate details of the tiny toy. "This is so weird…" He remarked, "Because if we were back home something this size would be about sized for us." Six watched the little train circle before adding in, "I don't think we'd ever find a train in this good of condition back in our world." Part of him actually felt a little sadness after admitting this truth.

"It's not just a model." Five added in with a knowing smile as he limped closer, "It's actually usable." Nine raised a brow, "Really? It's… A little small. Oh, but I guess you'd shrink to get on! Right?" He assumed with slight amusement, as though he wasn't fully convinced but playing along. "That's right." The Mad Hatter adjusted his hat before pulling it off, "In fact, I'll have the shrinking tea done in just a moment." He pulled the internal teapot out and Six smiled in excitement while Nine looked taken aback and somewhat in disbelief. "Wait, you're serious?" Nine asked.

"Of course he is!" Two chimed in before beckoning Wonderland Eight closer, the male standing behind Five and blocking him from the view of the ticket takers nearby. "But we must not draw too much suspicion, my friends. This isn't… A well-known transit. The library is hidden because of the information kept inside." Six's interest piqued, "So people don't take the little train frequently… But, wait, it only goes in a circle?" Two was about to answer when he heard the call of an announcer from nearby, saying that one of the trains was leaving the station. The White Rabbit fell quiet out of dread.

A few moments passed before Eight remarked, "We've been gone for too long… The Boss and the others are probably looking for us. What happens if they fall down here too?" Nine contemplated this, "Well… They heard Six's story, so they'd do what we did and head for the Red Kingdom." Six listened in as Wonderland Eight turned towards the conversing Stitchpunks and added in, "Couldn't. The door's locked. They'd just be sent back through the Rabbit Hole and back into your room." Eight furrowed his brows, "So all those doors are supposed to be locked? What's even the point of having the doors."

"They're just there." The heart guard shrugged off to his counterpart and gave a playful smirk, "You all are pretty lucky. Usually the door's not unlocked and the gold key in there is pretty hard to keep ahold of." Nine chuckled and gestured to Six, "It's good that Six's key opens the door." The heart guard paused before suddenly turning to face Six, "What…?" He asked slowly, " _Your_ key opens the door?" Six didn't know why but suddenly he felt odd under the gaze, as though suspicion was cast upon him, and nodded while Five announced, "Tea's ready to go!" Wonderland Eight raised a hand, not looking away from Six.

"Not yet." He insisted, wanting to get more answers, and to Six's surprise Eight broke in. "Look, we got to do this later. We're wasting time that we can probably waste on the train." Almost reluctantly Wonderland Eight nodded to his counterpart and let the subject drop. Eight himself glanced back to Six after a few seconds. It wasn't a suspicious glance but more of a self-reassurance. That itself made Six feel even more disturbed, not certain why his key was so important. It was an important item to him and he had used it for years as a self-comfort, as he remembered that he got it from the Scientist's workshop before he left.

"We need a distraction…" Five murmured and looked around, "Any ideas?" Cat volunteered, "Let me handle it." Of course Cat only just appeared behind Child and Wonderland Eight. Wonderland Eight looked over abruptly, Nine let out a short cry of alarm, Six's optics darted over but he didn't seem too surprised, and Child even gave a slight flinch. The Cheshire Cat leaned on his shoulder, "Glad to see you made it back in one piece." He pointed out with a playful smirk and Child retorted, "As though you haven't been following us all morning." Cat chuckled and pulled back before starting to vanish.

"Cat, wait." Nine tried to stop him and for a few seconds it seemed like he was truly gone, but then he suddenly reappeared, like he never left. "Yeah?" Nine straightened to attention and asked, "You warp around, right? Can't you just… Warp us with you?" Cat started to fade off, his smile remaining this time, smirking at the younger. "Doesn't work that way, Pup." Then he was gone and Nine slumped, "It was a good question." Five patted Nine on the shoulder and the younger continued, "I still have some mushroom left on me." He slipped his hands under to go to his zipper and Child spoke.

"Creator, how much are you keeping in there?" Wonderland Eight got a small smirk of his own, "You'd know, wouldn't you?" Child gave him an unimpressed frown and Five spoke to Nine, "Keep that on you for safe keeping. I have more than enough tea." He smiled and Nine sent one back, zipping himself closed. Six took the teacup, "I'll go first." He volunteered eagerly, antsy to get moving as he didn't want to stay in one place too long. He tilted back the cup and downed it while Five sputtered, "Oh no, Six, not the whole thing!" Six paused and spit what he could back in that hadn't soaked in.

Eight held a hand out for the cup and Six placed it in before he immediately began to shrink. Nine knelt down and actually had to catch Six, who shrunk so quickly that he actually started to drop. The zippered male straightened and sat him on the display beside a fake bench and streetlamp, the train passing again. Eight was next, then Nine, Child, Five, Wonderland Eight, and finally Two himself who waited until he heard scuffling and voices off somewhere, knowing that Cat was on the prowl and doing his job to distract. Two sat on the edge of the display before finishing the tea, quickly shoving the cup into his bag so it shrunk too.

Now they were standing on the diorama together. "When the train goes by we'll have to jump on." Two warned and, as expected, when it came by he dashed at it with a sudden burst of speed and jumped into an open door on the second car. Five was limping, but managed to get on as well. In fact every one of them from Wonderland was able to get on with the first lunge. Eight managed to grab onto the back, but hadn't pulled himself on and was currently stumbling behind the moving train. Nine started to sprint after it when he noticed Six wasn't following. "Six, what are you waiting for?" He called back.

"…For the train to come back around?" Six offered and his mouth tinged upwards in a smile. Nine paused before chuckling nervously, "Oh… Makes sense." He crossed back over to the Artist's side and watched as the train went along its path. He then looked over at Six who was smiling as he watched it, considering to ask about what he told Eight last night. Part of him thought against it and yet he finally offered, "Something happened at the Diamond Kingdom?" Six's face twisted in surprise and he looked to the zippered male, "Eight told you?!" Nine was quick to defend, "No, I overheard, but he wouldn't talk about it."

"Good… I don't feel safe talking about it." Six explained sheepishly, "Just… Something was trying to get me into the castle." Nine was concerned but the Artist forced a smile, "But we're far from there now! We shouldn't worry about it. It was probably just nothing…" Six's optimism eased the mood and Nine smiled, "Alright, just checking. Get ready, here comes the train again." They hurried over and dove on before heading through towards the back to help Eight. The train wasn't like a normal train and wasn't nearly as extravagant as the train station was.

The seats were mere blocks of wood carved like seats and instead of a carpet between the rows it was just painted red. The doors between the sections still opened thankfully and they headed into the back where Eight had already managed to pull himself inside and was sitting on a seat. He followed the other two back to the middle car. Five was sitting down while Two was missing and both Wonderland Eight and Child stood there alert. When Two entered back in Six offered, "Are we going?" The White Rabbit nodded, "We will be very soon! I could use some assistance in the front, and a little strength."

He looked between the Eights and Wonderland Eight nodded and started heading to the front of the train. Eight came as well, "We can handle it." He assured and his counterpart nodded in agreement. Nine and Six followed as well, but Nine noticed Five wasn't following and glanced back towards him in concern. The male was looking even more tired and concern passed Nine's optics. He still followed the others, Five being left with Child who sat down on the other side of the aisle. Past the next car was the actual inside of the train itself, which also didn't run like a real train.

Six had remembered trains running off of coal or fire, but neither was here. In the front of the train was what looked like a winding key that jutted outwards. Two took it in his hands like a steering wheel and looked back to the Guards. "See those metal beams laying at a diagonal along the walls? They keep the wheels in place and thus, keep it on the same track. I need you both to lift one so that I can steer us the correct route." Eight nodded and Wonderland Eight reached out to grasp the beam, "Consider it done." He then grunted as he lifted the beam.

Eight followed suit and, seeing that everything was under control, Nine turned to Six, "Let's check on Five… He looks strange." Six cocked his head before nodding and they headed into the back. By time they got there Five looked worse, laying limply against the seat. "Five?" Nine asked and lightly shook him. Five's optic open and he started to straighten, wincing as he did, "Sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought." He forced a smile but Six had noticed what area of his body made him flinch. "Your wound…" He pointed out, "It's still bothering you, isn't it?" Five stared and Nine looked concerned.

Suddenly he was ripping at Five's jacket. Five gasped, Child stood suddenly, and Six just watched as his friend tugged it open. The small cut was the same size with the same stitch, but mismatched optics detected more. Nine looked to Five as he let Six get by to check. His pen tipped fingers nudged at the wound and gaged the reaction, which was another wince. Six looked back to the wound and his mismatched optics widened as he pulled it slightly open, revealing darkness creeping out from inside. "Five, what is this?!" He sputtered out, touching the sticky black muck that was starting to dribble out.

"It's just…" Five started and was interrupted by Six, "It's Boojum poison, isn't it?! Is this what it's like?!" He lifted his hand to reveal the liquid to the others. It smelled like bog water. Nine started at the mix and looked to Five quietly to explain. "It's just a little…" Five admitted, "But it's nothing too serious!... I mean, it is serious, but it can wait. I didn't notice until earlier anyway. We need to get to the Library first and foremost." Child chimed in, "Five, you need to be in the Red King's medical ward _now_. You of all people know how ruthless the poison can be." The Hatter looked away from the Jabberwock's gaze.

"There won't even be a kingdom if we don't figure out what's going on." He admitted solemnly, "Two's being modest about that staff. If all of the pieces are found then we're in serious trouble. The world could change, could be just like the Sawdust Eater's domain… That's what made them, you know." Six's optics widened, "…What?" Five nodded insistently, "There wasn't a barren land there always… Back when Wonderland was barely beginning to be populated someone must have used the staff to make it… And now it's empty…" He seemed to be growing more distressed and more tired.

Nine was starting to become frantic, "Five, your health matters more than that!" He was having frantic flashbacks to when he lost his best friend to the Machine, panting desperately, looking frantically towards the Jabberwock. "Can you cure Boojum poisoning?!" Nine asked to Child who casually remarked, "Do I look like a Boojum?" Nine tossed his hands upwards in annoyance, "I don't know; you look like the Fabrication Machine, you act like a Stitchpunk, I don't know what you're supposed to be! Except for unhelpful!" He stormed by and started to the front while Child was standing there, dumbstruck by Nine's sudden retort.

"I'm getting Two!" Five pulled himself upwards and fought the distress, "Nine, you can't! We can't turn around anyway until we get there, just let us get the information we need!" He pulled a jar of mustard out of his pocket and popped it open. "We just… We need to find the others… We need to find out what's next." He smeared the yellow mixture onto his wound. Nine looked back, sadness and fear across his face, before stepping into the next car. In a huff of frustration he dropped down onto a seat and simply waited. Five was right; but he wasn't going to let this go on much longer.

When the train did eventually stop the Stitchpunks quickly disembarked. They were already standing in the Library as they stepped out. Six, Nine, and Eight were immediately surprised at how similar it looked to the Library that was their home, save that it showed no affects from war. Everything was arranged neatly and put away carefully as they headed inside. "So where would this book be? Probably somewhere high and practically impossible to reach, right?" He gave an amused smirk and Two chuckled, "You would think so, but thankfully the librarians can help us better."

Almost as soon as he said that two Stitchpunks suddenly appeared out from behind a stack of books. Six recognized them and smiled, "The Tweedles! Of course it would be the Tweedles!" Shockingly enough Nine recognized them as well and looked to Child, "Wait, weren't those two the Stitchpunks in the inn?" They scurried closer, looking over the scene before their optics locked on the two Eights. Three ran to Wonderland Eight, Four ran to normal Eight, and their optics flickered in surprise as they catalogued their findings. "My friends, we need the book."

The White Rabbit spoke in a friendly way, "To figure out where Nine and Seven have gone. As you see, we have his counterpart." He rested a hand on Nine's shoulder and he gave an awkward smile, bracing himself for the two to rush at him. They didn't do so, however, and instead tilted their heads at Two before nodding and hurrying off. "They may not have even known of the disappearance." Two quipped and Six was still thrilled, "Seeing everyone again like this- I didn't think I was going to get to with all the travelling and things!" The White Rabbit chuckled at his excitement and Nine quietly spoke.

"It's good… But we still need to hurry." Both looked back, Six in agreement and Two in confusion, "I'm certain that the March Hare and White Queen will be able to hold out-." Nine now blurted out, "But Five won't." Two stared in confusion and the younger finally admitted the truth, "Two… Five's poisoned." The older male's pupils shrunk and he looked to Five for assurance. The Hatter refusing to look at him was answer enough. "That's why you wouldn't let me check you this morning… Oh, Five." Two's voice was fearful and sympathetic, knowing what Boojum poisoning meant.

"Two, please." Five begged, "I can go back to the castle as soon as we leave, but I knew that if you knew I was poisoned you'd want us to head back now. This whole journey can't be ruined because of me." Two came forward immediately and took his apprentice into a hug, feeling the younger wince again in pain. "Five, no, you didn't ruin anything. You got injured protecting me, if anything…" He cut off as the Hatter leaned against him a bit more tiredly. The White Rabbit held him close, petting his back affectionately. A few minutes passed before the twins dashed back with a large book carried by both of them.

They dropped it heavily onto the floor and opened the top cover to a page with nothing but a line on it. Six approached and crouched onto his knees, "Is this to sign?" He asked softly, reaching forward to lift the next page only to find them stuck together. Child came over to answer as Wonderland Eight was over watching Two and Five. He crouched down as well, "It is. When someone close signs this book with the name of who they are searching for they will find their location on the next page." Nine sat down beside him and Eight stood above them and looked down. "Nine, you've got to sign it." He instructed.

"Sure this is going to work?" Nine asked Child and looked around, "Do we have anything to write with?" The Tweedles were about to run off when Six stopped them. "Hold on." He began to start dabbing a finger on his tongue and sucking on it. Eight raised a brow in amusement and Child briefly watched, then looked to Nine, "You're the only one who it may work for. We don't have time to search for your- For the March Hare's siblings." Finally Six scooted closer and offered his hand, the finger he was fooling with now leaking ink. "Here. I have a pen." He playfully pointed out with an amused chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

Nine smiled back and took ahold of his wrist. Gently he signed his number on the line. "Here goes nothing." Nine followed with and attempted to turn the page, which gave and opened to the next section. There was a map of Wonderland, the full continent, and was detailed with roads and small pictures of the kingdoms. The Library was the only design in color and was seemingly drawn in blue ink. After a few moments a red 'x' also appeared on the map as well. "Is that it? Is that where he is?" Nine asked in delight, happy that it worked, but both Six and Child looked disturbed.

"What is he doing out there?" The Jabberwock asked quietly and Nine looked to him, "What?" Child looked back to him with the dread on his face, "The March Hare's past looking glass land… He's in the Sawdust Eater desert." Six couldn't believe it and stared in alarm before looking over as Nine slowly stood, "So… So that proves it… He didn't elope, he was taken, because he wouldn't go there to elope." Nobody argued with the logic, in fact Child exhaled in pure relief, and Nine continued, "Seven's probably there too… We need to go save them. Right?" He looked back towards Two and Five only to hesitate.

Five was looking worse even now. He was panting wearily and looked to only be held straight by Two. A few seconds passed and Nine insisted, "…But first we need to head back to the Hearts Kingdom." Five tried to speak, "Nine…" His raspy pleas went ignored and Eight announced, "We'll get him there and then we can go out there. End of story." Six looked back to the book again, flipping a page back, examining around, contemplating what his plans were. Two announced his plans, "We'll need to head to the Kingdom, but… But I need someone else to make a separate journey."

"What?" Eight asked in surprise, looking to the older male, "We're splitting apart?" The White Rabbit frowned further, "I certainly don't want to… My proper alchemy tools are at the Red Kingdom… But the Snark scales aren't. I don't grow them this time of year because they die easily and they don't keep well." Horror passed Nine's face, "…What does that mean?" Wonderland Eight murmured, "That means we don't have the only known cure to Boojum poison." Five's closed his optic tightly; he already knew, but Two argued, "But there is someone who does! Back at the village where Five and I keep our homes."

"We can go there!" Nine responded quickly and Two nodded, "There's a witch in town that owns a garden. She has Snark scales a plenty. You can't miss them, they look like a leg. Then we can worry about Nine and Seven-." Suddenly Six spoke, "No." His voice was so sudden and striking that the others looked to him in alarm. He slowly shut the book and stood, pondering it, and looked back as though surprised at what he was saying. "I've been among the Sawdust Eaters before. I've befriended them… I've escaped them… So I'll go." Five gasped and Child argued, "Six, that's not necessary-."

"Yes it is!" Six argued, "I… I know that Nine and Seven are safe _now,_ but we don't have the time to waste…" He looked back at the book, "Whoever's doing this is probably wanting us to waste time so that they can find the other parts. Five needs to get to the castle, someone needs to get the scales, but I'm not needed! I can do this, I can go into the dessert and find them!" For a few minutes nobody spoke and the only sound was of the twins closing and carrying the book off. It was Eight who finally spoke, "You're right." Six looked to him and just stared. "You're right. We'd all be a cluster of confusion anyway."

He took charge and looked over. "Two, you get Five to the Kingdom." He looked to his counterpart and gave a nod, who nodded back, and looked to Nine, "Nine, you get those scales." He looked to Child, "You, do something along those lines." He then looked to the Artist and crossed his arms, "And you're going to be my guide." Six stared before sputtering, "Y-Your guide... You're coming with me?" The Guard gave a nod, "We're in the same boat, Six. There's already one of me here doing the work, so I'm needed elsewhere." Wonderland Eight suddenly paused and murmured a soft, "There's already one doing the work…?"

"Eight… Eight, thank you!" The Artist blurted out in joy and rushed forward, jumping onto him with a tight hug. Eight's optics widened before he looked down at the smaller, giving an amused smile. "Hey, you're acting like I cured Five myself. You're still taking me over there." Nine smiled at the scene and looked to Two, "Then here, let's get back on the train and return to the station." Two looked towards Child, "Call Cat. He can alert the guards that we're coming and get a coach." Child nodded and pulled something out of the back of his vest. It looked like two bells connected to a rope.

He took a few steps back and began to swing it in a circle. At first it rattled, then it began to jingle, and finally it began to make a strange whirring noise. Then, suddenly, Cat seemed to just appear, an excited look stretched onto his face as though he was getting a giddy high from the noise. Two reached out to grasp his shoulder, tugging him out of it, "Cat, go to the White Kingdom and alert Eight's men that we need a carriage at the train station. Take this." He reached into his vest and pulled out a heart shaped pin, "Show them this. They'll know I sent you." The Cheshire Cat too it, admiring the shiny object, and hummed a bit.

"I don't usually get involved into these things… But alright." He seemed to notice how much Five needed the help and vanished once more. Now Two started to guide Five back towards the train, Wonderland Eight following. Nine hurried after them. Six pulled himself back from Eight sheepishly and looked to the Tweedles, "Thank you for letting us use your book." The Tweedles smiled and nodded, happy to assist, and watched as the group started to leave. The two returned to their work quickly as the Stitchpunks entered the toy train once more.

By time the train pulled back into the Station the guards were already waiting. Wonderland Eight ate a biscuit, grew in size, and started to command his miniature army to protect the area and help carry Five. They had brought a stretcher and even though Five insisted he could still walk Two helped him on. They carried him into the carriage when Nine prepared to board, sitting onto the back. Child climbed on beside him and Nine was a little surprised and gave a small smile, "Coming along for the ride?" He offered and the albino gave a playful retort, "If I don't suffocate on dust first."

Eight prepared to climb aboard when Six stopped him, "We can just walk there." The Guard looked taken aback, "It's halfway across the map!" He exclaimed in surprise, but Six shook his head, "It looks like that… But the second we step in we're already there." The Guard suddenly was second guessing his decision, but exhaled and stepped back. "Alright…" Six looked to Nine and the Stitchpunk looked back; they would be separated once more. "Be careful, Nine." Six took his friend's hand and Nine rested his other atop it, "I will. Just don't get lost out there. Don't get separated."

Eight discreetly rested a hand on Six's back. "Not planning on it." Six looked upwards at him and smiled. Now Wonderland Eight stepped around, "Watch him close. You don't know what's out there." He banged on the top of the carriage and held on where Eight once was as it started to slowly roll away. Now Six and Eight were left to their search, now Nine was left to wait for his stop, now Two was left to keep Five stable until they arrived.

Now all that was left was to begin another leg of their journey.

* * *

 **Mable: And we are finally starting to approach the end of our story!... Sort of. XD More or less the fellowship finally knows what needs to be done… Unfortunately at the expense of Five's health. What shall happen next? All to be revealed very soon!**


	12. A few Steps Closer to Home

**Mable: This time it wasn't lack of inspiration that caused the delay in posting. Instead, I've been going to a sort of a night school thing that runs during the afternoon; which is good because I don't get any writing done in the afternoon anyway. XD It's mostly arranging everything that took my time so the next uploads will return to normal. Anyway, in today's chapter we shall see the fate of Five, Nine's experimentation, bunnies, and even more! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Twelve: A few Steps Closer to Home_

"Here's our stop." The Jabberwock suddenly spoke and Nine asked in response, "What do you mean _our_?" At this point Child jumped off of the back of the carriage and dove into the grass on the side of the road. The last glimpse Nine had was of him rolling into some sort of trench. The zippered male stared for a few seconds just out of confusion before following suite. The long grass cushioned his jump but he also tumbled a bit and landed in a heap. He got to his feet quickly and soon Child made it back to him. "Alright," Nine began, dusting off his knees, "How long should it take us?"

The albino shrugged, "Not too long. It will be the walk from there to the Red Kingdom that's going to take time." This displeased the zippered male, "There's got to be a way to get there quicker… Wait." He reached into his clothing to his zipper and Child optics focused on his front, "What are you doing?" Nine fiddled around inside before bringing out the mushroom pieces, "We could eat the mushroom and grow in size. Then we'd cover a lot more ground!... But there's not much mushroom." Nine now noticed that the mushroom was beginning to shrivel and knew that it probably wasn't as strong.

"Alright, slightly different plan; I eat this and get big. Then I can carry you easily and we'll be there in a snap." He looked to Child who got a small smile, "Clever. Six informed you of what happens when you grow?" Nine nodded, assuming he meant something about size or shape, or the feel of gravity. He tasted one of the mushrooms and his guess turned out to be accurate, causing him to slightly grow. Before he ate any more he handed over the shrinking mushroom to Child and continued to chew at the fungus until it vanished. Then he began to grow. It was much more disorienting than any shrinking or growing before.

He closed his optics and waited for it to stop as he grew taller and taller. Soon it stopped and he looked downwards. Nine was now quite tall, but thankfully his clothes seemed to grow as well; save his hat which fell off as he grew. Child lifted it off the ground, shook off any dirt on it, and looked upwards. He seemed hesitant to look directly at Nine for whatever reason and Nine gave a playful smile before crouching, "Let's get going. Five's waiting for us." He held his hand out to lift Child only to notice how much lighter colored it was; no longer copper and now some sort of softer material. "What…?"

He looked over his hand only to suddenly recognize it as a human hand. "I'm- What is this?!" He asked in alarm and slid his sleeve upwards, revealing more human skin underneath. "I thought Six told you." Child quizzed and tried to somewhat coax him with, "Just calm down. It's a bit surprising at first, but it will wear off." Nine patted at his face and could recognize it as being humans, his now formed hair as well, and dropped his hands down to sit there for a few seconds. His optics, now eyes, were wide as he took in the new form. "I'm… A human now. I'm just a human now…"

"I know it's a surprise, but it happens to all Stitchpunks who grow to a certain height." Child pointed out, "I personally don't grow in size because of it. It's… awkward." Nine choked a bit, "You're telling me… But we have no choice." He straightened a bit, "Okay, I can handle this. Hold my hat and let's get going." He lifted the Jabberwock and set him on his shoulder before standing straight. He towered over everything in an awkward fashion and took a testing step, having to watch his feet carefully. His feet were much softer feeling and shoes hadn't appeared, but thankfully his own tolerance managed to stay.

Soon he was striding over the landscape. Nearly tall enough that it seemed like he could touch the cloudy sky. The male continued onwards and broke the silence to remark, "I bet you're glad you didn't have to go into the desert." He remarked, but the Jabberwock gave a frown, "Not exactly… If it was anywhere else I would have to find him… But I cannot go into the desert." Nine was confused by it and Child continued, "I am confident that Six can do it. He's been through there before, he has befriended the Sawdust Eaters, so the threat is minimum. If I tried to go in I would be rejected."

"Why?" Nine asked and Child shrugged, a few moments passing, and then Nine asking again, "Are you and the March Hare friends or…?" For a second the smaller seemed like he was surprised by the question, but then admitted, "A bit like that. It's complicated to explain." Nine wasn't sure what that meant and fell silent as he continued walking. A few moments passed and then Child added in, "I could tell you, but I think it would scar you. Or at least make this more awkward." Nine gave an amused smile, "Then it's a good thing I didn't ask." A few moments continued to pass and Child added in, "You're too innocent."

"You're acting like you want to tell me." Nine playfully pointed out and finally Child finished with, "The March Hare and I are romantically involved." This triggered a sputtering stutter from Nine, "I-What?! But I thought Seven-." Child quietly continued, "Seven and the March Hare used to be involved… Somewhat. Nine had feelings for her, she didn't return them, and then we got together." This sent Nine reeling and he just stared ahead in alarm. The Jabberwock dared to ask, "Back in your world are you with Seven?" Nine bit his lip; it was softer, especially under his newly formed teeth.

"Uh, well… No." He admitted in defeat, "I have feeling for Seven, but she… She doesn't feel the same… You're not back in the Emptiness, or another version of you, or- I don't think so." He continues to ramble, "There's another Machine, but I've never seen another you. Then again I haven't seen many of anybody." He gave a crooked smile at the seeming tension and Child looked away, uncomfortable himself but not sure if it was because of the conversation or Nine being a human. "Does it make you uncomfortable knowing about it?" Nine contemplated this and playfully added in.

"I'm actually surprised that you two having killed each other yet." He teased and Child seemed to be relieved. The rest of the trip was uneventful as they arrived at the village. "I think the witch he's talking about is the female in the red hat. I suppose Five mentioned her?" Nine got a small smile as he remembered, "I actually saw her. Five was talking to her before we left." Child nodded, "Could you tell which house was hers?" Nine shook his head. "Well… I suppose it would be the one with the garden behind it." He approached the outside of the town and looked downwards, "They... All have gardens."

Now he noticed that Child was smirking and gave his own, unimpressed look. "You could have warned me." Child instead quipped with, "It's a garden of flowers more than vegetables. Lower me down and I should be able to see well." Nine took Child into his hand and lowered it somewhat, circling the circular set homes and searching for a proper match. Soon they managed to find what seemed to be the proper garden. Nine crouched down, leaning over the garden, and reached in only to prick his finger. He pulled his hand back and shook it, "Ugh, not as durable. Here, you find it. You'll know what you're looking for."

Child dropped inside of the fence and started to seek around through the thick flowers and bushes. Nine lowered his head closer to see better as the distance and overcast sky made it a little more difficult to see. He leaned his hand against the house, one finger slipping in to grip ahold of the window, and almost immediately after there was a cry. " _Eek!_ A serpent!" A voice cried and followed by the window landing on his finger. Nine cried out and yanked back, massaging the abused finger as the window opened again. A female Stitchpunk looked over and looked surprised, "Oh, I'm sorry! I thought- I don't know what I thought!"

"No problem." Nine shook it off and looked to the female only to recognize her quickly. "Hey, you're the girl in the red hat that Five was talking to!" She wasn't wearing her hat currently, but he was certain of it. "I am." She answered, almost quizzically, and noticed Child scuffling around. With him bent over she couldn't recognize him. "So… Uh… What are you doing in my garden?" Child suddenly straightened and called out, "I found it!" Now the female's optics widen, "Oh, Mr. Jabberwock! Hello! I didn't recognize you down there!" Child looked towards her window, "Yes, that's me. Have we met?"

"Not exactly. Not formally. I've seen you with Nine." She pointed out and he nodded, "And I have seen you with Five." She nodded almost sheepishly and introduced, "I'm Velvet." Nine chimed in, "Nine… The other Nine, not the March Hare. It's a long story." He waved off. "I'm Child. It's a pleasure as we are in dire need of your resources." He lifted a handful of Snark Scale petals, "The Mad Hatter has been poisoned by the Boojum and we must get these scales to the Red Kingdom as quickly as possible." Velvet's optics widened, "Five was poisoned?!" She was horrified and the two nodded.

"He was…But he's with Two at the castle. We're heading there next." Nine explained as he reached down to offer his hand to Child. Velvet immediately blurted out with, "I know this is very sudden, but may I come with you? I have to see him." She was desperate and grabbed her hat off of the dresser, placing it on. Nine gave a small smile and nodded, "Sure. The more the merrier. The least we can do since we raided your garden." Child climbed onto his shoulder before murmuring, "It's almost as though you don't realize that was illegal. Ah well, the more accomplices the better. Don't run fast, just run faster than them, right?"

Nine playfully rolled his eyes and offered his hand to Velvet. She pulled on a red jacket and climbed out of the window, onto his palm and pulling it back to his shoulder. "Alright, I'm going to have to go a little faster. Hold on!" They braced themselves and he began to quicken his pace until Child added in, "Turn about twenty degrees to the right." Nine didn't even say anything, he just turned and continued, suppressing his embarrassment.

* * *

"What happened?!" One asked assertively with a clear indication of dread as the guards entered in with the stretcher. As soon as he saw Two hurry over, still completely intact, he felt a spreading relief. Not caring of appearances at the moment he tightly hugged onto Two. Two hugged back and pitifully explained what happened, "Five was poisoned by a Boojum while we were on the Jabberwock's island-." Suddenly Eight broke in, "Poisoned protecting Two." Two glanced back and Eight shrugged, "He was going to figure it out anyway, right?" Two begrudgingly nodded and One tugged him closer.

"I knew it wasn't safe, I knew that someone was going to get hurt!" One pointed out as he cuddled the shorter who spoke, "One, it's alright. It… Five protected me and now he's the one hurt, so we must take care of him." Eight turned to the guards and started to lead them towards the medical wing. Once they were gone One began to nuzzle Two affectionately. "Oh, my Bunny, you could've been killed _again_." He lamented and Two sighed, "It's… It's fine. We discovered much; Child was innocent, Nine and Seven have been taken, this is just spreading more and more…"

For a second Two became discouraged, but One was strangely being optimistic. "It'll be fine, you're safe now." Two nodded and admitted, "But the others aren't… But you're right, I can't dwell on this. Five needs our help until Nine and Child come with the Snark Scales." The King nodded before Two smiled sheepishly, "Now would you mind terribly watching Five while I quickly see Twenty-One and Twelve? I've been missing them so much." One actually managed a chuckle and instructed, "Go to them before you drive me insane. I'll see to One." Two smiled and nodded, then rushed off quickly towards the nursery.

Twenty-One was sitting cross legged on the floor with Twelve propped on a pillow. He had a bowl of pudding, most likely his snack, and was trying to feed it to his smaller sister. He would offer her a spoonful and she would suckle on it in delight. Two cleared his voicebox in a One-like fashion, causing Twenty-One to jump with a start, "Daddy! I was just- She wanted the pudding-!" He tried to excuse until he stopped as he realized who it was and gasped, "Papa!" He squealed in delight and dropped the spoon, scrambling to his feet and dashing over to leap onto the White Rabbit. He hugged him tightly and Two hugged him back.

"Oh, my little Twone, I missed you so much!" He knelt down and hugged him tightly, feeling as the tiny Stitchpup nuzzled into his chest. Twelve seemed to notice him as she began to squeak in a needy way and Two looked towards her. "I'm coming, Bunny." He greeted and smiled to Twenty-One as he stood to start over, "Taking care of your little sister?" He asked and Twenty-One nodded quickly, "Yes, Papa! I was giving her some of my chocolate. She likes it!" Two was proud of his son and lifted the tiny, pink Bunnypup. He lifted her to his chest and she cuddled into him as her brother did, squeaking and cooing in delight.

Two stroked over her tiny pink ears and back, watching as her little, barely fur covered tail trembled in delight. Two held his still new baby close as he sat down on the soft rug, pulling Twenty-One into his lap as well. After everything he just wanted to hold them and love them. Meanwhile One headed into the medical room that Five had been taken into. It was a single room with a comfortable, white bed and a counter nearby for preparing medicine. He signaled for the guards to leave and approached Five's bedside. The male was panting tiredly and was missing his hat and jacket.

"Let me see." He insisted in a surprisingly soft tone. Five gently pushed the white blanket down to reveal the small wound that was now spilling more blackness that was spreading across the fabric. One looked at it with concern and his slanted optics widened slightly at its condition. It wasn't the worst he had seen, but it was growing, and he spoke, "Five… I know you were injured protecting Two. Eight told me." Five went to defend his mentor, but One continued, "I would like to thank you as deeply as I can… Two looks and acts strong, but he is still weak from the birth… It would've already overtaken him."

"No problem." Five insisted and added in honestly, "I love him." One nodded softly, "As do I… But as for your condition, I expect a quick recovery once we get ahold of the antidote." He reassured and the one eyed male smiled a bit hopefully. One forced a rare, small one back. "Let me find Two. He went to check on Twenty-One and Twelve." The Hatter nodded and leaned back against the pillow as the King of Hearts exited the room. After a few moments Five leaned over to his jacket, ignoring the sharp pain in his side, and reached into the pocket of his jacket, letting it drop to the floor and retrieving the pocket watch.

His optic stared at the face before him. The numbers eyed him silently as the hands continued to tick. He clicked a small button on the side and the pocket watch opened. The glass covering and face popped open, but so did a compartment in the back revealing a set of three pictures. One was of Two and him when he was young. The second was of Two, One, he, and Nine after they saved the Heart Kingdom with Six. The final was a picture of himself and Velvet. It was the latter two that Five focused on the most. "Nine… Velvet…" He murmured softly, "I'm sorry, I should've been more careful."

He closed his optic tightly and dropped the watch onto his chest, his other hand raising to brush his patch, "It wasn't the first time either…" He stared at the roof for a few moments. It was so quiet in the castle at the moment, mostly from the thick walls of the medical room, and he could slowly feel the changing patterns on his fabric around his wound. _"Now that I have lived a lifetime's worth of days, finally I see… The folly of my ways."_ He lulled softly and exhaled, looking out the window at the cloudy sky, a few light drops of rain on the glass. All he could do was wait.

* * *

"There's the castle!" Nine cried out in relief as he continued walking towards it, "We can finally give the cure to Five!... And I can finally get back into my body. My feet are killing me." He playfully pointed out. Though he was somewhat serious as his feet were starting to grow sore. The Guards started to run in circle and pull out weapons out of fear and Nine called down. "It's me! Nine! I'm here with the cure for Five!" They still seemed skeptic, but suddenly Eight's voice broke out, "Stand down, men! It's fine!" The Guards immediately stopped and regrouped as Nine stepped over the wall and leaned down.

He set down Child and Velvet, the former handing the petals to the latter who rushed inside the castle. Nine then knelt down and looked to Child, "Have the mushroom half?" Child nodded and began to fool with the piece. "Hold on for a moment… Here." He handed the trimmed piece. "This should be enough." The younger trusted and ate the mushroom piece. He quickly began to shrink and loose his human features, returning to the Stitchpunk part as he was. "Whoa…" He stumbled back a bit as he adjusted to the size, Child catching him, "Are you steady?"

Something was different about the concern and Nine knew it was because of what he now knew. He felt hot in his face, sheepish, and nervously chuckled, "Yeah, I'm fine! Just… Just fine." He had been attracted to Seven for a long while and hadn't had it returned, yet now here was someone with feelings towards him, or one of him. It was sort of a giddy feeling along with a slight embarrassment. He stretched out his legs and took his hat back thankfully. "Alright. Let's head inside and find the others." Child announced and Nine paused before asking, "If Five's safe now then shouldn't we- Shouldn't I head into the-?"

"No." Child suddenly spoke out firmly. Nine was surprised and Child caught himself in alarm at his own behavior. He immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, I just… It's dangerous to go alone. More unstable, unsteady, I just think it is safer if you stay here." His protectiveness was showing even though this was the wrong Nine, but he couldn't let the second one get trapped too. For a few seconds Nine just stared and then nodded as he snapped to reality. "Alright. I will." Suddenly one of the guards called out past them, "Captain, there's something coming towards the wall!"

Nine watched as Wonderland Eight suddenly dashed by towards the front, "Is it the messenger?" He demanded in questioning and the card guard shook his head, "No sign of him, Sir, but there's something out there… It looks like some creature from the woods." They continued to the front and Nine watched them go. He then looked to Child and dismissed the incident, "Let's go find Five."

The door to Five's room opened and Five glanced over to see Two slip in. He was then surprised to see Velvet follow him inside. "Velvet, you… You got here!" He exclaimed, struggling to sit upwards, and Velvet rushed to his side and clasped his hand, "Oh, Five! How did this happen?!" She asked in horror and the Hatter simply raised her hand and held it to his chest. She blushed slightly but was too concerned to notice, "My poor baby…" Two took the Snark Scales off to the counter and began to prepare them with Five's teapot, "Almost there, my boy. Soon you'll be feeling much better."

Velvet sat down on the bed beside him and held his hand until Two finally came over with a small pair of scissors. "We'll want to snip the stitches holding it closed. After we get the cure in it we can stitch it again." He went to lower his hands when Velvet spoke, "Two, umm, let me try to do it." She carefully took the scissors and the Inventor nodded, "Go ahead." He headed back to the workbench and Velvet turned towards Five. She lowered the small scissors to the stitched wound and snipped the first string. Five tensed at the motion, but kept his mouth closed tight, not revealing any pained noises.

She snipped another thread and the wound was securely opened. "Alright… It's ready…" She bit her lip and Five smiled to her, "Don't worry, Darling. It's okay." It was almost as though his comforting of her comforted him as well. She forced a smile as Two came over with the warm teapot, "Now this will sting for a minute, but then you will feel immediately better. Though don't expect perfect results for a few days." Velvet moved to hold the wound open as Two poured the water directly into it. Five jumped slightly, "Ah!" His hands clenched onto the bedding as he took in the surge of heat and pain.

After a few moments it started to change into a dull numbness instead and Five groaned as the pain was quickly exchanged by a relief. "Better…" He sighed as weariness began to set in and he felt the blackness slip out. Indeed a large amount of black fluid spilled out of the wound and onto the bedsheets and floor. "Almost there." Two coaxed, "All of the poison is spilling out. Just a little longer." Velvet leaned closer over the Hatter, "How are you feeling?" He smiled in almost a stupor of a daze, "Feeling great!" Velvet got an amused smile and looked to Two, "We're losing him." He gave a chuckle as well.

Suddenly Nine burst into the room, "Five?" It was then that he noticed the black mixture that had spilled on the bed and floor. "Five!" He cried in horror as One slipped in behind him, who had been jostled by Nine before the younger had rushed in. "It's alright!" Two insisted as the teapot ran dry and Nine ran over, "That's just waste poison. Five's much better now, and by tomorrow he'll be right as a ticking clock." Five looked rather tired now as he nodded and leaned back against the pillows. Nine smiled in relief and gave a bit of a nervous laugh, "Oh… Oh good! Glad to see you're okay, Five."

Five smiled back, "Yeah. Me too." One cleared his voice box, "And of the scepter? And the perpetrator behind this madness?" Nine winced and looked back, "We don't know. We found the March Hare and Seven, but Six and Eight went into the desert alone." Suddenly Child stumbled into the doorway, leaning on it, "Come quick! All of you…" When the Healer started to sit upwards he gave a flat sigh and remarked, "No, not _you,_ Five. Good Creator." One looked to the Jabberwock, "What is it?! What has happened?!" The albino male pointed back, "That thing outside the gate has gotten in! It's some sort of Beast!"

Two sprinted out of the room and Nine followed behind him with growing horror. They passed a few windows facing the courtyard as they continued to the stairs and while Two didn't stop to look Nine couldn't help it. The sight made him immediately stop in his tracks and he gasped in alarm. "H-How?! How here?!" He sputtered out as Child stopped behind him, seeing the recognition in his optics. The thing standing in the courtyard, tearing through guards, was a Beast most definitely.

Cat was nowhere to be seen, and yet there was a Cat Beast in Wonderland, a real one.

* * *

 **Mable: You're probably wondering how Six and Eight are doing in the desert. Well, you shall soon see, in the next chapter in fact! I hope everyone enjoyed!  
Speaking of which, if you're wondering about the short blip of a song that Five sung it is 'Beautiful Ride', actually sung by John C. Reilly as well. **


	13. Six and Eight into the Beyond Lands

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter; where Eight and Six search for Seven and Nine in the Beyond Lands, amongst the Sawdust Eaters. This chapter was shockingly difficult to write and I had to review Six's last adventure to write it properly. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Thirteen: Six and Eight into the Beyond Lands_

"Be careful." Six murmured softly as he stepped forward from the grass onto the crumbly ground of the desert. Almost immediately it turned from normality into something direr. "If one of us isn't looking or doesn't have a hand on each other we can't look away, or we'll get separated from each other." Eight looked ahead into the distance, "That quickly?" Suddenly Six's hand grabbed onto his in a tight and protective manner, "That quickly." Eight looked back to the younger and immediately walked straight into something. "Oomph!" He grunted in pain and looked down at the table he had ran into.

It was a corner that caught his front and he rubbed it as he looked down at the object. "A table?" Six was disturbed as well but, not releasing Eight's hand, began to look over it for some sort of clue. "It changes, this place, but sometimes it can't change unless we're not looking. Underneath it he found nothing, but as he stood again he noticed that something else had slightly changed. Or at least he didn't notice that the table was set when he went under. "So what's this place actually called?" Eight asked as Six fiddled with a teacup. It was filled with yellowish water and some dirt had settled at the bottom of it.

It didn't have a scent or anything. "The Beyond Lands." Six answered and set down the cup as Eight crouched down, "Tables are a normal thing?" Six nodded in amusement, "Sort of. Furniture is. There isn't anything here though." He was surprised when Eight answered with, "So you checked this little door under the table?" The Artist sputtered and dropped down to peer under. As Eight had predicted, there was a small door on the underside of the table. The Artist crawled underneath, "Hold my ankle." He instructed and Eight got an amused look and took ahold. "Didn't think this was going to get this hands on."

It was a terrible joke and still Six felt a sudden heat coarse through him. He reached upwards and pushed the door open, standing to peek through it. It only led through the top of the table and knocked over some of the teacups when he opened it. Everything almost looked the same, even Eight's feet sticking out from under the table, except for something standing somewhat out in the distance. "…Eight, can you see those?" Eight looked out from under the table only to see it as well, tightening his grip on the Artist's leg. In the distance he could see what looked like a circle of tin soldiers.

They were stiff and covered in a thin layer of rust. They held fake guns and instead of faces there were paper cards somewhat pasted over their face. It was almost as though they were supposed to be reminiscent of card guards, but in a much more disturbing way. Eight actually shuddered, "That's creepy… Here, come out of that." Six crouched down curiously and climbed out from under the table. They could see that the tin soldiers were circling in every direction and Six sputtered, "This isn't good… We need to close our eyes, we'll go somewhere else."

Eight almost agreed before murmuring, "…Wait… I got an idea. It's either incredibly genius or really stupid." He pulled his hand back from Six, to the smaller's horror, and grabbed ahold of the wooden table. In a swift motion he flipped in onto the ground and crouched down. He tried to push at the doors, but naturally they wouldn't give. However, when he pulled back it opened to reveal something odd. A dark hole underneath it. "…It worked." Eight was almost alarmed and Six sprung forward, "Hurry! They're getting closer!" Eight grabbed Six's foot and looked over towards the soldiers.

Indeed they were much closer and he suddenly realized what kind of situation they were in. Six stuck his head inside the door only to realize that it wasn't a tunnel. Instead it was a curtain hanging around the hole, and tugging it free revealed the room to view. The floor of the room was filled with about a foot of water and looked close enough to drop onto. He reached back to grasp Eight's wrist and shifted himself. His feet were lowered into the hole and Eight moved him down. Finally he let go and prepared to land in the water. Instead his feet hit the top and stopped, him falling onto his backside onto the hard ground.

It wasn't water at all and instead was thick glass. It surprised Six and he looked upwards, "Careful." "I'm not going to fit down there." Eight pointed out in immediate response and looked back towards the soldiers. "But you have to!" Six insisted, "If you don't we'll get separated… And we probably won't find each other again." His voice was filled with fear, almost as much as what was on Eight's face when he looked back. "They're right behind me. I'm coming down one way or another." He tried to pull at the door only for it to peel away. He stared at it only to feel over the doorframe; it was like a waxy substance.

The Guard peeled a bit more away before squeezing himself through legs first. Six covered his mouth and stared; he couldn't help it, but he had to struggle not to snicker at how tightly the male had to squeeze through. Suddenly the Guard jumped down, landing on the glass which cracked beneath him. Immediately liquid spurted out from the cracks in the floor. Both of the Stitchpunks backed away from the crack and it elongated, water now shooting out with another pressure to strike the roof and doorway. The doorway got a strangely wavy look before peeling and melting, like a piece of wet paper.

Now the only doorway had vanished and the two were in a room that was rapidly filling with water. Six looked around frantically before suddenly noticing a narrow door in the corner. He waded over to it and turned the knob, "Here-Oh!" The knob dropped off into his hand and the hole that it had been wedged into gaped open. He felt around the crack of the door only to realize it didn't exist and was yet another waxy illusion. "Can you get it open?" Eight managed to get behind him, the water to his waist, and Six sputtered, "I can't! It's not _really_ a door!" Horror welled in his optics as he looked back.

"Move, I'll get it down!" Eight insisted and Six slipped out of the way. The water was at his shoulders, so when he stumbled a little his mouth dipped underneath. The Guard looked back before firmly commanding, "Get on my back or something! I'll get us out of here!" The Artist didn't argue and hopped upwards, clawing along Eight's weapon and making it to his shoulders where he clung on. Eight braced himself before ramming his shoulder into the door. It slightly bowed in like wax instead of wood, but much thicker wax. It refused to give and he struck it again with all of his weight, it bowing slightly further.

He started notice that the bottom was giving a slightly bit more. Now Eight began to start kicking at the bottom and surprisingly his somewhat sharper indented feet began to break through. After a few kicks the waxy, clay-like door gave in at the bottom and water started to pull out. Eight expected this to drain the water and that his weight would hold him, and Six, steady in the room. The current of water was stronger than he could have ever anticipated it being. Suddenly he started to get drug downward. He growled a bit in strain as he struggled to hold onto the door and Six merely stared in horror.

Eight's fingers dragged down the door, leaving trails in the waxy structure. The small hole he kicked seemed to widen and sucked him inside. He only had a chance to take a breath before the world was a mismatch of swirling water and bubbles. He flailed his arms around in an attempt to grab something as he felt Six still holding onto his shoulder guards. Six managed to get his head out of the water quicker and was blinded by the sun which suddenly appeared. Eight managed to pull himself upwards and looked around as well, but he was more in a panic, not paying attention to his surroundings.

While Eight struggled to grab for some wet rocks surrounding them, Six suddenly realized that they washed out of the room and into a stream of some kind, but before he could dwell Eight suddenly knocked into the bank. Eight grabbed at the large tufts of grass while the water continued pulling Six down the way. "Eight!" He cried after the larger male who looked over to see the striped Artist floating away. Before he could get too far Six suddenly found himself halted, his backside and legs landing on a rocky and sandy bottom, suddenly getting into suddenly shallow water and beaching himself.

Mismatched optics blinked as he stared at the Guard who stared back. Then Six finally stood and quietly waddled over to the bank, his canvas soaked with cool water. The sun kept him feeling comfortable as he climbed onto the bank and sat in the grass to catch his breath. Eight climbed onto the bank and started over before standing beside him. He looked down at Six who reclined in the grass, his hands resting on his belly. "Hmm?" Six inquired, trying to figure out why he was looking, and Eight looked towards the stream instead. Wax from the room was starting to float down.

A large mass of the substance, which may have been the entire room itself, flowed down the creek before spreading out along it and overtaking it. The brownish beige wax then shifted strangely and formed lumps and indentions in itself. Grass and tiny trees suddenly sprung from it and covered the wax. The wax which then seemed to morph into a more dirt-like substance. In only a few short seconds the creek vanished and a new mass of land had appeared where it once was. Eight watched it until he chuckled a bit. Six looked to him again questioningly. "I think I'm losing it." The Guard remarked in amusement.

Six smiled back and replied, "I think I'm already there." Eight offered him a hand and Six gave a hesitant look as though he expected Eight to draw it back when he reach out. Regardless he finally reached forward and took it, smiling wider as Eight didn't trick him. But instead of pulling him to his feet the Guard glanced upwards and hesitated, staring at something past him. "…What?" Six asked with dread and Eight responded with, "There's a doll over there." Six sputtered, "What?" He turned his head to look back past him. Sure enough there stood a porcelain doll.

Its glassy eyes and pale face didn't show any visible emotion as it stared at the two Stitchpunks. Suddenly it stiffly turned around, its head turning to look back only once, and rushed off through the weeds. Six pulled himself to his feet with Eight's hand as leverage. "I-I think it's a Sawdust Eater!" He sputtered out and the Guard grumbled, "Of course it had to be a china doll." Six briefly questioned before realizing that he was referring to the Seamstress. The Artist still encouraged, "But she'll probably lead us in the right direction." He started to climb through the tall grass after the doll, and the Guard reluctantly followed.

The thick grass obscured Six's vision, but he could hear the sound of grass rustling before him. "Wait, please!" He gasped out to the creature dashing away. Finally he shoved the grass out of the way and could see the doll who was pulling open a section of wire fencing. She noticed him and moved almost impossibly quicker, vanishing into the fencing. Six hurried over to the front and tugged at it. It was a strange type of wire, like a netting wall to keep something confined, and he tried to drag it out. It was almost stuck and he rested a foot on the edge before pulling.

It wasn't until Six's foot slipped and hit a wall, a wall that was painted like a greenery and sky background, that he noticed that they truly were in some sort of room. He looked towards the sky and now could see the sun better, and the wire that attached it to the blue ceiling. " _It looked so real!"_ He mentally noted and Eight appeared, grabbing onto the edge of the door and helping him pull it open. The door drug along the dirt as it was pulled open. Six stepped inside and allowed himself to wait for Eight; after all it had become a bit darker inside.

The walls were still of the wire material with distant wood walls that kept him from seeing outside. If there was an 'outside' past the walls. The Artist quickly spotted some of the doll's dry hair as she disappeared out of view far into the hutch. "I see her. Or saw her." Six pointed out and looked back towards the large male who shut the door behind them. Six waited until he was done before rushing ahead and starting on the next door. Eight helped him and then they continued to the next room, which they could see through the wires. Then the next small room, and the next small room, and the next, and then the next.

By the fifth Eight noticed that his head was dangerously close to the ceiling. By the sixth he had to lean down. Soon he was crouching and while Six didn't have to he noticed that the room was shrinking. "She was… She was just right there." Six explained as he peered through the wire doors in the distance. Eight shrugged and worked on the next one, "It can't go on forever. Eventually we'll- It's getting even smaller?!" The roof in the next room was down considerably and Eight groaned, "You'll need to crouch and I'll need to crawl." But suddenly the Artist became hesitant, imagining that the roof would continue closing.

"No…" He looked back at the grating behind them only to notice it changed. "…It would go on forever, but not if we go back." The Guard looked back only to look surprised, "…It changed. It changed that quickly." Six nodded slowly and stepped aside so that the larger could open it. Once the door opened Six peeked his head out and could see something much different. On the other side was a small pantry lined with shelves, though it was human sized compared to the Stitchpunks. There was an actual door that led in, but it was sealed closed and looked undisturbed.

Six stepped out into the pantry and looked at the rows of shelves lined with cans and jars. There was no sign of the female doll whatsoever so they were currently at a standstill. "Where now?" Eight asked quizzically and Six sighed softly, "I don't know…" He detected a depressed tone and shut the grate before looking to him, "Something going on?" The striped one bit his lip, "Yeah, Eight, something is going on…' He fondled with his key before taking it off and simply staring at it. "I… I think it was a mistake, me coming here…" He then added in quickly, "Not to the desert, but to Wonderland."

"What do you mean by that?" Eight asked in confusion and Six murmured, "You'd think that someone as insane as me would be able to figure out everything down here, but I can't… And I feel like every time I come back I cause everything to go wrong." When he paused to take a breath Eight broke in, "Six, you're not crazy." Though unfortunately for him the smaller shot back with, "Of course I am. You told me yourself, and you know what? You were right." The larger winced at that and exhaled softly, "I say a lot of things, Six, that doesn't mean it's true."

Six still seemed disturbed and Eight reached out to grab his shoulder, turning him further towards him, "I don't know why now you're suddenly discouraged, but listen to me-…" He paused and started at the smaller, and Six became confused, "What is it?" Eight's face twisted in suspicion, "So what is it? What aren't you telling me? Because this was how you were acting after the Diamond Kingdom-." Six interrupted desperately, 'I'm not hiding anything! I swear, I just… I'm frustrated." He looked upwards at the ceiling of the dim pantry, "I'm frustrated with myself. I wish I could do more."

"And?" Eight coaxed, but Six stayed firm, and so the Guard let himself soften a bit. "…Alright… You know, sometimes your weirdness, your _differentness,_ made me feel normal." Six looked to him in surprise, "It did? But… But Eight, you are normal." Eight bluntly scoffed at this, "Normal? I'm a walking freak show. Err…" He suddenly remembered the smaller male's dislike of the work 'freak' and worked around it. "I was always the odd one out in the group before you were created, and even then you're still the right size… Maybe that's why I was harder on you, maybe it was something else, but nothing I said had merit."

The Artist seemed torn and looked downwards, "Oh, Eight… I never took what you said- When you used to- I don't think I'm like this because of anything you said… I think it because even now I don't have any control. No control here, not even of my thoughts anymore…" He could remember the incident at the Diamond Kingdom well. It still haunted him even now. "I'm in the same boat, Six. It's not like I really know what I'm doing. I thought nothing game sense before, down here- I'm guessing it's 'down' here." He started to look around the pantry and Six almost playfully added in, "I think I was created before you too."

"Nah, you're younger than me… Right?" Eight suddenly looked curious and Six paused and blinked, "I… I don't know actually… I thought I was, but if I was created first then wouldn't I be older?" The Guard shrugged, "Yeah, I guess- No… No, because the twins aren't older than either of us and they were born before both of us…" They stood there until Eight broke down in a few chuckles. "We're both losing it now." Six chuckled a little as well, finally feeling himself lighten a bit. Though this suddenly changed as Eight reached forward and rested his hands on the smaller's shoulders.

It was a sudden gesture and for a few seconds Six just looked down at him. Affectionate gestures from Eight were very rare and something in the touch elected a warmth in him. He smiled upwards at Eight and fought with the light that wanted to spread across his face. He looked upwards again to Eight and was pleased to see that he was smiling a little too; this was new for the both of them. That was until his mismatched optics focused past the larger to a small window at the top of the pantry. There peering through the glass with its hands cupping the window was the Sawdust Eater doll.

"Eight!" Six cried out and Eight retracted his hands. A brief look of concern or fear appeared on his face. Almost like he thought that Six was calling him out on his actions. "No, not that! That was nice! It- There!" Six decided to halt the babbles and pointed towards the window. The larger looked back to catch a glimpse of the doll before Six sprinted towards the pantry. "Maybe she can help us." He insisted, "Or at least take us somewhere. Maybe she knows where Nine and Seven are." He pulled out a slightly open can and climbed onto it, the lid sinking in slightly into what smelled like salty liquid, and climbed to the next shelf.

Eight followed and managed to climb quicker as he could reach the shelves with less effort, but Six somehow stayed in front of him as he climbed seven or eight shelves. By time he got to the top Six was feeling an uncomfortable soreness in his arms, but dashed over to the window and unlatched it. He then stood aside as Eight came forward to hoist it open, still practically in awe at how easy it was for the guard. Once it was shoved open Six slipped underneath and stepped into an alley courtyard. The size had changed again and the alley was proper sized for both Eight and Six. It had to have been a pantry in the basement as well.

The courtyard was small and led to a series of concrete steps winding into a building. Again the sky was visible, and as Six looked upwards he was amazed at how far the buildings stretched. "Do you think… That's the real sky?" He asked Eight who answered with a shrug, "Don't know… Even if it was, how are we gonna climb that?" He then looked forwards to the steps, "She must have gone that way. Or I'm guessing it was a girl. It was wearing a dress." He followed by looking directly at Six who lightly blushed and almost shielded his clothing, "It just _looks_ like a dress." He corrected and Eight smirked, "Yeah. Maybe hers does too."

Then he began to stride to the steps, climbing them quickly and once again being shaded in the dim lighting inside of the concrete structure. The stairs led to a small concrete bridge over stairs further below and stairs somewhat forward. "Which way?" Six asked before a sudden snap interrupted him. He gasped in alarm, "That- This way!" He barged past Eight and down the steps, them circling around to the lower steps and guiding down a damp, narrow hall. "Slow down!" Eight called after him, "I'm having trouble keeping my eye on you." At that Six abruptly stopped and Eight ran into his back.

"I didn't mean stop." Eight added in and Six reached back to lay a hand on his chest, to quiet him. "Eight, look!" He exclaimed quietly. Down the hall at a corner they could see the doll. Oddly enough it was now doll sized compared to them and its leg was pinned in a large mousetrap. Six shushed Eight again to keep him quiet and inched ahead, "It's okay…" As he crept closer the Sawdust Eater noticed and tried to pull away from the mousetrap. "No, don't, you'll hurt yourself." He insisted and knelt down beside the trap, reaching forward and grasping the metal holding her down. Surprisingly to him he could pull it back.

As the trap was loosened she slipped out and he smiled, "Better?" As he tried to set the trap to the side it snapped closed again, pinching his finger briefly before he pulled it free. "Ah!" He shook his hand out and could hear a small chuckle from Eight. Six fought with the idea of sending the Guard an unimpressed look to show his own feelings, but the Sawdust Eater came forward instead. She tenderly took his hand and pulled it forward, pressing her parted, pink painted lips against his large hand in a show of gratitude. Six felt heat fill his cheeks and gave an awkward smile down at the female, "Thank you…"

The Sawdust Eater looked upwards at him and Six pleaded, "Please, our friends are stuck down here somewhere. Their names are Nine and Seven; one's the March and the other's the White Queen. We have to find them!" The Sawdust Eater raised a hand to her lips, face still not changing, and paused for a while before nodding. Suddenly it began to run down the hall. Six looked back at Eight and smiled, "Let's go! I think she might help!" Eight looked a bit impressed and the two followed behind her. After a short walk they appeared at a door at the top of five short steps. The Sawdust Eater pointed to it, but didn't approach.

"I'll go first." Eight insisted and started to climb the creaking steps which struggled to hold his weight. Six sat down on the floor and the Sawdust Eater climbed into his lap, where he held her affectionately. The large male peered inside of the room and looked around. It was a strange room; it was actually wooden instead of concrete and along the walls were more shelves, like another pantry. On the walls were a series of displays. Some held stuffed animals, some held skeletons of animals, some held butterflies incased in glass and held with tacks, and all of the items were unnerving.

Eight groaned in distaste and continued to another door, this one rickety and missing a doorknob, covered in scratches. "Yeah, this isn't disturbing or anything." Eight remarked with a grumble and opened the door only to see a nearly empty room, save a box in the center on a table. He could hear talking as he approached and peered inside. It was more than a box, it was a top view dollhouse. With a roof of glass covering it, muffling the noise from inside, there were four small rooms inside. The dollhouse had a bedroom with two beds, a bathroom a small kitchen, and a sitting room inside.

Along with this were two small dolls who Eight recognized as Nine and Seven. He knocked on the glass and both looked upwards from their place in the sitting room. There was surprise and relief in both of their optics as they stood, calling out. Eight could hear their muffled words. "Eight!" Wonderland Nine cried in surprise and joy, "What are you doing here?!" Seven interrupted him and added with, "Let us out! Quickly! We have to get out of here!" Eight nodded, "I'm on it." There was a strange thumping noise back in the pantry and Eight guessed that Six was crossing through. He wedged his fingers under the heavy glass and lifted it.

While it was an easy task for him, Eight doubted that Seven and Nine would be able to lift it at their size. He set it aside on the floor before reaching in. "How did you get down here?" Seven asked in surprise, "I thought they were still guarding the door… And where are your clothes?" She seemed confused as she was carried and Nine glumly added in, "Maybe they took his stuff too." Indeed, Nine was missing a hat and his rabbit ears were visible, twitching and listening for any threats nearby. "It's a long story." Eight announced, "There's two of me, two Nines, the kingdoms' are in danger, and Six is outside."

"Six?" Seven asked and Eight nodded, "He came down the Rabbit Hole." He was going to say more when he opened the door and could see what happened. All of the skeletons, the stuffed creatures, the displays, everything was turned to face the doorway and the Stitchpunks. Eight already knew that there was going to be trouble and placed Nine and Seven on his shoulders. "Hold on…" He could see Seven pull out a tiny, white, clock hand spear threateningly. "It's them." It was almost as though this triggered something as the creatures suddenly went insane.

There was a mixture of clatters and clicks as the bone animals, most with large gaping maws and heads too big for their body, jumped down and started to run circles around the large male's feet. He began to run down the hall with heavy footsteps, dodging the butterflies and moths that had pulled from their display and were now flying around his head. What looked like a crudely stuffed rodent with awkward buck teeth bit his foot and while not affecting the metal it got a short cry out of Eight as he barreled through the door, stumbling down the steps. Six stood with a start and was interrupted before he could ask.

" _ **Run!"**_ Eight commanded and Six turned to zip down the hall, the larger following, behind him the rabid Sawdust Eaters. "Do you know the way?" The March Hare asked as he stared back at their captors. "Which way?!" Six promptly asked the doll in his hands. She paused and then pointed off down a separate hall that only just seemed to appear. It was wooden and carpeted with an antique rug, leading them to another small flight of winding stairs, then abruptly ending at a wooden wall with a small grate near the floor. "There!" Six announced and crouched down, attempting to pry it off.

"I'm not going to fit through that." Eight pointed out and followed with, "Move over." Six went to slide and then paused, "No, wait, I've got it." He leaned back, nearly onto Eight's himself, and kicked the vent. "They're coming!" Seven warned as she looked down the stairs from Eight's shoulder. Six gave another firm kick and the vent fell inwards. Six set the Sawdust Eater girl inside and looked back towards the Guard, reaching upwards. Seven and Nine were set into the Artist's hands and he placed them in the vent tunnel as well. He then started to crawl inside.

Eight managed to squeeze in behind him, the Sawdust Eaters clawing at his legs. Six had to close his mismatched optics to block out the growing feeling of claustrophobia. It was starting to gnaw at him as he scrambled along the metal square of a tunnel. He could hear Nine speaking, "It is… Getting smaller?!" Six's optics closed tighter and soon Nine remarked, "We're going to have to crawl…" A short time passed until he added in, "Eight, how are you still able to fit?! Are you-…Oh!" Six's optics were still clenched and he trembled a bit until Nine added in, "Oh, that's it!" He gave a slight chuckle of amusement.

Six finally peeked and could see Nine looking back at him. Unlike what he expected the tunnel hadn't shrunk, but Nine himself had grew, and the crooked smile was so similar to the other Nine's that for a moment Six forgot they were different Stitchpunks. He smiled back until Eight suddenly stumbled into his back awkwardly. The striped male blushed in embarrassment and continued further on until the tunnel ended. As Seven started to climb out the gravity seemed to shift and a horizontal tunnel opened into the barren center of the Beyond Lands. "Careful climbing out. It's a little… Strange."

She climbed out, Nine followed, then Six and Eight followed afterwards. The Guard watched the vent carefully as Six looked to the two. Nine looked basically the same as he was before. Seven had slightly different armor; it looked a bit lighter and the bone that made it seemed to have intricate carvings in it, most fleur-de-lis symbols. Regardless the armor looked better cared for as though she had been using it more since their first adventure. "We've been looking for you! Two, Nine, Five, all of us! They just- Five got injured so they had to head back and-!"

He rambled and Nine spoke, "Whoa, slow down. What's going on?" The Artist smiled and insisted, "I'll explain on the way. First…" He looked around and noticed the Sawdust Eater doll watching nearby. "Thank you for your help! Do you know the direction to the Hearts Kingdom?" The doll hesitated, as she did, and then pointed out past them. The Artist thanked her and stood, "Then I guess… We should leave. You can come if you want." The doll didn't give an answer and soon the group started to head off through the desert, Eight leading the way.

"Let's go…" Eight insisted and sighed in relief, "And let's be glad that nightmare is over."

* * *

 **Mable: Once again, the Beyond Lands are fully inspired by the Alice in Wonderland movie made by Svankmajer. It's currently able to be found on Youtube and is worth a watch! It is unlike any Alice movie I've seen and manages to pull off a curious and even occasionally creepy atmosphere. The next chapter will be finished soon; I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	14. The Inmate

**Mable: The next chapter is finally here! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Fourteen: The Inmate_

By time the Stitchpunks made it out of the Beyond Lands and were almost at the Red Kingdom, Six had brought both the White Kingdom and the March Hare to speed on what happened. They were horrified by what the Artist had revealed about the worsening situation and about the staff. They then took a chance to explain that they had not planned to elope. In fact Seven and Nine hadn't even been together when they were taken. Seven had been in her castle and Nine had been visiting the White Kingdom in one of the hotels. Both of which were certain that they had been slipped a sleeping mushroom in a meal.

When Nine and Seven awoke they were in the dollhouse and had been there since. Other than the occasionally glimpse of the Sawdust Eaters they hadn't seen their captor. This distressed Six greatly. Eight just watched and listened to the talking, but didn't add much in. Though he did confirm when Six explained that he was another Stitchpunk that the Hearts Guard. Eventually they arrived at the Hearts Kingdom and it was just in time to see chaos unfolding. "What's going on over there?!" Eight asked as he heard the ruckus and pulled his knife off of his back. Seven raised her spear as well, "They're under attack!"

It was then that they actually saw the creature. A glimpse as the Cat Beast passed the front gate, claws raising to attack a card guard. "A Cat Beast?!" Eight blurted out and Seven looked in alarm, "You know what that is?" Now Six sputtered out with, "How could a Cat Beast be down here?! Did it go through the doors too?!" There was obvious confusion and Seven looked between them, then settled on Eight. "We need to take it out!" Eight nodded at her suggestion and the two hurried ahead towards the courtyard. Six stared, wondering if he could help with his mind moving powers, until his shoulder was grabbed.

"I know a way in the back." Nine said and started to guide Six along the wall of the kingdom. The Artist made haste, but as he followed he found his thoughts creeping in, " _That Cat Beast must have been brought here to attack... It's getting worse. The attacks are worse; he knows that we got Nine and Seven back… He must…"_ A frown covered his face as they eventually arrived at the gate only to find it locked. "Here." Nine insisted, crouching down and linking his hands together to boost Six upwards over the gate. The Artist accepted it and climbed over to land on the ground, unlocking the door.

" _But I know he's still there… I know he's there and I could go after him with the others. No, not with the others, alone. I should go alone."_ It was a horrifying idea, but Six had agreed upon it. He knew for a while where the one behind this was staying, he knew this being, this entity, was aiming for him alone. He needed to do this. Six said nothing as he opened the gate and the March Hare began to lead him into the back of the castle. Once inside Nine started to dash towards the stairs and Six slowed to a jog. For a minute he waited and considered what he was doing, but then solemnly agreed and turned back out of the castle.

Outside Eight, Wonderland Eight, Seven, and the guards were having a difficult time fighting off the Cat Beast. It was an extremely aggressive one and seemed more determined to attack than defend. More than once Seven leapt at it only for her to be swatted back. The last time sent her tumbling into a cart of vegetables recently harvested from the garden for the guards. She groaned painfully and Wonderland Eight took this as a sign to run forward, lifting his knife and bringing it upwards to block the Cat Beast's claws. "Keep it distracted!" Eight called to his counterpart, "I know its weak spot!"

Seven heard this and straightened, running forward in an attempt to distract the Cat Beast further and its other claw. She stabbed her spear into the small openings in the claw and held her weight on it, trying to keep the claw forced down. Eight, meanwhile, bounded over with his blade raised and swung as hard as he could. The Cat Beast's weak spot was its neck and it was wide open to him. He swung heavily and his knife clanged against the neck, but did nothing. Eight's optics widened; this wasn't right, the neck wasn't supposed to be reinforced. The Cat Beast now turned on him with full focus.

It slammed Eight onto the group. Its claw held him tightly to the dirt as it raised its other claw to attack. Seven could be heard crying out from somewhere, "Use the Caterwaul!" Suddenly a familiar noise started, catching the Cat Beast's attention, followed by strand of bells and rope wrapped around his raised claw. It only took a second before a form followed it; the half visible form of the Cheshire Cat. As he latched onto the Cat Beast's back, the claw's grip loosened enough that Eight could pry himself out and stumble back some ways away.

As Cat attacked the Cat Beast, Seven dove in again, shoving her spear forward against its neck. Though it failed to do damage. "There anywhere else?!" Wonderland Eight demanded from his counterpart. "Any other weak spot?" The other Guard sputtered, "That- I don't- Wait… Wait, yeah!" Eight suddenly shook off the shock and insisted, "The underbelly. The Beasts always got a weak spot underneath them." Wonderland Eight nodded and looked towards the other card guards, "You heard him, men! Get underneath it! Give it all you got!" The group all gave a cheer or battle cry as they rushed forward the swarm.

The March Hare dashed into the higher floors of the castle, not stopping until he managed to find part of a group in the hall. Two and One were the first Stitchpunks he noticed as he dashed forwards. "Two!" Two looked over and gasped, "Nine?!" They briefly hugged before he began to question, "Nine, you were freed?" The March Hare nodded vigorously, "Eight and Six saved both Seven and me. She's outside with…" Suddenly his smile fell, "Two, what's going on here?!" The White Rabbit shook his head, "We're not certain. This Beast just suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

"Well, both Eights are working at it now." Suddenly he noticed another male who looked very similar to him and blinked, "None?" Two chuckled a bit, "Actually this would be another Nine. I'm sure Six or Eight mentioned it." Wonderland Nine suddenly perked, "Oh, right! Yeah, sorry. Hey! I'm… Nine." He introduced awkwardly and Nine responded just as awkwardly, "I'm Nine… I've heard a lot about you." He joked awkwardly and the other chuckled, "Really? Maybe because we look similar!" He joked back and there was more of the introduction until Child suddenly appeared. "Nine…"

"Child!" The March Hare's smile widened more in delight, "I didn't think you were going to be, or still be-." He was interrupted by Child moving forward and taking him into a tight and protective hug. Wonderland Nine wasn't surprised by it at all and instead hugged back, nuzzling into his shoulder with his ears twitching in delight. "I missed you…" He admitted before looking to Two, still in the process of hugging, "I missed all of you." Two smiled warmly and Child held him tighter, petting over his back in soft motions. "I'm never letting you go again. Never again. I promise."

"Unfortunately we have other matters to attend to." One pointed out and Nine abruptly interrupted him, "Where are Eight and Six?" Wonderland Nine explained, "Eight's down fighting with… Other Eight." One peered out the window only to nod in agreement and gasp. "They've got it!" They all looked out the windows, Nine rushing over to see better, and he was surprised to see that they managed to get a weakening blow in. Eight had gotten his knife under the Beast and the White Queen had done something on the top while Cat distracted it, and all of a sudden the Beast fell.

"They did it!" Two cheered in delight and started to rush off, the Red King hesitantly following, and Nine turned towards his counterpart. "What about Six?" The March Hare blinked as he pulled back from Child and looked around. "He was… Supposed to be following me…" Concern filled both of their features and Child casually rolled it off, "He was worried about the others; he probably passed around the castle and was watching the fight." This seemed to make enough sense and the three followed the older two down into the courtyard. There was triumph; the card guards were cheering and their captain looked proud.

"Good job, men!" Seven playfully rested a hand on her hip and the bodyguard continued, "And your highness." The Cat Beast was no longer moving and they had stepped away from it, leaving it to Cat who was curiously climbing over it. "Excellent work." One congratulated, "The Kingdom is safe at last!" He seemed firmly proud and patted Wonderland Eight's back then looked to Eight. "The other version of I, wherever he is, is lucky to have a man like you." This roused a smile out of both of the large males. That was, until Nine spoke, "Six is gone." The group all looked to him and Wonderland Nine added in.

"He was following me into the castle and just… Vanished." Eight felt a cold feeling in his core, "You think that he was taken?" Wonderland Nine hesitated, "I… No. I don't think so. I would've heard him… Right?" Suddenly he was starting to doubt and the White Rabbit's optics widened, "Well, we just have to find him! Now; men, go look for Six!" He commanded and the eagerly followed order as though it was One, who looked to Two with admiration. Eight felt the need to blurt out, "Six was keeping secrets." One looked to him now, "What? About what?" Even Wonderland Eight looked strangely curious.

Eight looked to Nine first and then explained, "He was attacked in the Diamond Kingdom… Someone was shifting things and trying to trick him into the castle." There was a gasp from both Wonderland Nine and Seven. "He figured it out and got out, but after that he was thinking that the person behind this was aiming for him. Watching him…" Suddenly Wonderland Eight turned away to cover what almost looked like a growing panic, "The Diamond Kingdom- It can't be…" Eight continued to explain, "Before we found Nine and Seven, Six was acting strange… Like he was hiding something again."

"He was acting strange after we checked the book to find, err, myself." Nine pointed out again, "He was just staring at that book and then suddenly was fine. I thought maybe Five's ailment spurred him on, but…" He noticed the bodyguard's behavior nearby and blinked, "Umm… Eight?" Eight looked over as well along with the others and the bodyguard straightened, "I have a hunch… And Creator I hope it's wrong." Suddenly Eight flinched and spoke, "I got one too." He looked to the others, "Six did it again! He did the 'gung-ho let's go' thing and headed off to the Diamond Kingdom again!"

"That must be where the perpetrator is hiding!" One growled and brought his staff down angrily, "That coward!" The others agreed and Seven growled, "He was probably planning on trapping Six then and now… Now Six is going to fall right into his trap…" Child was slight skeptic and asked, "But why would it want Six? We could just assume that it was aiming for him because it couldn't get him the first time, but then we'd have to question why it took him the first time. Why would it see Six as a threat?" Wonderland Nine added in, "Maybe because of what Six did before? He's practically a hero!"

"He's a _fool_." Wonderland Eight suddenly muttered, "I don't even know what he's thinking…" There was actual anger in his voice and Nine became frustrated, "Look-." He was promptly interrupted by the captain's continuation, "We need to get over there quickly. What's the plan?" They pondered for a minute until Seven spoke, "Cat can teleport. He's been to the Diamond Kingdom before." Two nodded and One scoffed, "Teleport all of us? I don't think so. He can't properly teleport himself!" Two's face fell, "Indeed, he's right. Cat specifically said he won't teleport others."

"It's not a won't. It's a partial can't." Child chimed in, "Cat, with great effort, can teleport another creature and pull it through. Unfortunately he cannot bring through multiple Stitchpunks." There was a moment of pausing until Nine suddenly started to perk, "Wait… He can teleport one Stitchpunk? Of any size?" Wonderland Nine's ears perked in interest and Child cocked a brow, "That's correct. It's not the size that counts here, it is being a single entity of a soul." Nine's smile widened in excitement and he spoke, "I think I have a plan…"

The Aged Man opened his mushroom house door only to see a group of Stitchpunks in front of a carriage. Leading the group was Nine, who he recognized. "Can we come in?" The older Stitchpunk looked past towards the group, "The better question is; will you all fit?" Regardless he moved over and the Stitchpunks managed to squeeze inside the tight room. "We need to find the caterpillar." Nine explained quickly and the Aged Man quipped, "Need more mushrooms?" The zippered male was almost exasperated, "Not exactly. We just need him. Do you know where he is?" One came beside him, nodding with authority.

"He's behind the large one." The older male pointed out, unfazed. Both Eights looked behind them and behind Eight himself was the Caterpillar, sitting in an armchair, a book in his lap. "Caterpillar, Sir, we need your assistance!" Nine insisted and gestured to Cat, "Our friend's in danger and he can warp one being at a time, and we need him to warp all of us but he can't. So I was thinking that maybe you could use your Soul smoke and maybe make us like one unit?" The Scientist Caterpillar was surprised at the suggestion, "Like a smoke portal?" Nine nodded vigorously and Two chimed in, "Nine also has a conductor."

Nine scrambled to pull the Talisman out and the Caterpillar peered closely at it. "Hmm… That may work." The Cheshire Cat was still smiling when he remarked, "I think we'll probably figure out some way to kill ourselves doing it." Regardless, nobody was arguing, and the Caterpillar stood. "We need to do this outside." As he started to usher them out the Aged Man spoke from the back, "Thank goodness! The last thing I want is you all accidently making a smoke fungicide in my house!" The pale older Stitchpunk chuckled, "Be nice, Bolete. The last thing I plan on doing is damaging your house!"

They stepped outside where the Caterpillar laid the Talisman on the ground. "How do you open it?" He questioned as he got his smoking pipe and such together. "You just…" Nine finished his explanation by tapping a code on the outside of the Talisman and it opened. It didn't glow and seemed to act as though it was empty. For a moment Nine only stared into it until Eight spoke, "Sure this will work?" The younger didn't answer and suddenly the Caterpillar announced, "I plan to begin! All of you move into a circle, close together, and brace yourself, Cheshire Cat!"

Cat still seemed hesitant but Seven patted him on the shoulder, "You're pulled through worse." She reminded and headed into the circle, him giving a slight purr in response. Soon the group was being surrounded in a thick layer of the green smoke. It overtook them, making it almost impossible to see, when Cat suddenly spoke. "Keep your eyes closed." Then he vanished and took the other with him. No stalling, no long period of waiting, they all vanished at once. The Wonderland Stitchpunks all obeyed in keeping their optics firmly shut, but neither Nine nor Eight could resist looking.

It was as though they were in some sort of abyss, or a tunnel, with walls like mirrors that rippled around them. It was almost too hard to look at. They weren't exactly standing either; they were floating in the abyss, the others as well, and Nine was about to question Eight about something, anything, when it suddenly came to a halt. Suddenly the group ended in a heap together in a thorny tree line. At first Eight was about to lament that it didn't work when he lifted his head and realized that he could see the Diamond Castle not too far away.

* * *

Six didn't understand how he travelled so fast and could only assume that something else was at play. Only a few steps down the road and he was suddenly at the same grove as before, and from there he knew exactly where to go. As he crossed back into the field outside of the Diamond Kingdom he realized that it was only more dilapidated. The ground was drier and covered in bits of random metal as he crossed down the slope. There was no covering or hiding; the fate of the Diamond Kingdom was revealed fully to him. Even though he knew the Stitchpunks had escaped he felt a strange sense of despair.

The tiny town outside of the castle too was visible. With fallen in walls and empty houses it struggled to stand on its own, but couldn't any more. Six was now having trouble looking at it as he approached the large doors that led into the actual castle itself. They were cracked just enough that he could slip inside. The interior of the Diamond Castle was just as decayed. Stained glass windows were broken and their remaining glass lay scattered along the marble floor along with a light layer of dust. The Artist continued inside, shivering as a sudden chill climbed his spine.

He stepped into the foyer and could see a diamond pattern drawn on the floor, directing him ahead as though the next room was important. He knew it was the throne room and he shuffled to the door. Six already knew he wasn't alone and so when he opened the doors he kept his mismatched optics firmly on the tiles. What followed next was a long walk down the hall to the throne. It was quiet, save the soft footsteps, but he could feel the tug of his sixth sense. He felt the person who had done this was here, was waiting for him on the throne, and his pulse raced as he approached.

Then Six stopped as the few steps leading to the throne came into view. Anxiety tugged at him as he stood there silently, not daring to look upwards. He was here to confront the villain, just as he had during his last journey, but this time he couldn't even look upwards from the floor. He had to do this alone though. "You finally came." The sudden voice was almost too much to bear and he gave no response. "I've been waiting for you. I knew eventually you'd figure out and come back here, but at least I didn't have to wait too long. The point is that you're here now." Six clutched his key tightly.

"What's wrong, Six?" The voice playfully asked. Six suspected a mock playfulness and looked upwards slightly. "Aren't you happy to see me?" The staff wielder asked, clutching the staff that had caused so much damage, reclined back on the throne casually with the stolen Diamond crown, not its crown, perched on its head. Now Six finally looked to him directly. His suspicions were immediately confirmed, though at this point he wasn't really suspecting anything. He knew the truth by now and it was a cold and bitter truth to take in. "I thought you'd appreciate a familiar face in a world of strangers."

Six didn't respond. He simple stared at his Wonderland counterpart perched on the throne. Taking in the striped smirk.

"But I bet you want to know why I did it." Wonderland Six straightened, an unusual pep in his movements. "And we'll get to that. The why, as in 'why I did it', and the what, as in 'what I plan to do'. But first I want to know the how! I _have_ to know the how. How'd you figure it out it was me, or you, or both?" He smiled wider, thoroughly amused at the entire situation, as though he already succeeded in whatever he was trying to accomplish. Six went to speak only to notice the staff in his hand; and how the section on top was complete. "The staff…" He softly murmured and Wonderland Six explained.

"While you were running around Wonderland doing your thing, I headed over to the Clubs Kingdom and finished my little collection. I got the Red Kingdom too, you see, but that's a little trick of my own." He went silent and watched Six who decided to speak, "I… Well… There were little things… I knew you were there, but you were gone. Eight was worried about you, everyone was worried about you, and I… realized quickly that we were the same." He quietly pointed out and the other nodded as Six continued, "….The Mome Raths were afraid of me too, but that was an afterthought."

He clutched the key tighter, "But after I was here last, when you tried to lure me in, I-I realized that you knew a lot about me… Knew enough to make fake thoughts… So I thought either you were kidnapped or you were the one behind it." Wonderland Six smiled a little wider after 'kidnapped'. "…And you could get in and out of the Beyond Lands, just like I could… I befriended a Sawdust Eater, so I just assumed that if they thought you and I were the same- Or maybe you used your feeling, like my feeling, to get out, but I knew already when I checked the book…"

He remembered checking the book when the others were talking. He remembered it clearly. "I… When I saw that you, that my other was here then I knew. I just knew." Six feel silent and Wonderland Six beamed once again, "Very good! You know, I said to myself that I'd probably be the only one to figure it out." He stood and started down the steps, "In fact; I specifically said that this plan was so genius, so spot on that the only one who was going to appreciate it was me! And what luck, you're here! And, I promise you, that wasn't just by simple coincidence either!" He was almost pacing in eagerness and Six was hesitant.

"So I really want to get on with the 'what', but I can't, I have to start with the 'why' or the 'what' won't even matter at all!" He exclaimed, clutching the staff tighter, "You see, Six, I've been watching you _for years._ " A look of alarm passed Six's face and he corrected, "No, no, no! I haven't planned this for years, but I've been able to see you, with looking glasses. We're not too different, you and I, and- Well, per say… Back on your world they label you as 'mad', right? Act like you're insane? An outcast? Or at least they did." Six hesitated, but slowly nodded in agreement. He was starting to suspect it was mostly in his head.

Still, however, he used to believe that they thought he was insane. "Well down here I have the same problem." Wonderland Six joked, "But this is the really funny part; there they think you're insane and here, where everyone is just a tad off, I'm…" He pressed a pen tipped hand to his chest before his excited voice dropped to a surprisingly even tone, "Entirely sane." He clutched the staff tighter, "So down here I was treated like an outcast as well, just… Just because I couldn't understand why everyone was so off. Why everyone acted so strange. I was too normal, so that made me strange, and the Sanest in the Asylum."

Six's optics widened a little bit and Wonderland Six looked down at the tiled floor, "But it made me feel… Good to know that there was someone else, another person like me, who understood and lived with it." Suddenly his saddened features contorted into a glare, "Until _you_ passed your boundaries." Six looked surprised and perhaps a bit confused at what he meant, and Wonderland Six smiled once again, a strained and desperate smile. "Your key opens doors down here." He grabbed at his own neck and suddenly Six realized that he was wearing a key as well. "My key doesn't."

He tugged it over his head, knocking the crown off, "In fact, my key doesn't do _anything_!" He threw it to the side, the metal hitting the marble and sliding to the wall. "So you can be there or come here and I'm stuck." Wonderland Six finished, tightening his grip on the staff, and went silent for a few moments. Then he added in, "And you're a hero too, so that makes it even better. Not only am I stuck here, but there's another me that's outdid me. That's pretty fun…." He then sighed, "But I don't hate you, and I'm not really mad at you. It's this place; it's like a poison sucking everyone into it."

The confidence and the smile returned, "So we finally get to the 'what', and trust me, it was worth the wait." He winked to his counterpart almost playfully, like the last few minutes never happened, and coaxed him along. "Here, look, I'll show you. There's a balcony right over there." As he guided Six, the Artist also put another thing together, "You were watching me, so that's how you knew about the Cat Beast well enough to make one." Wonderland Six chuckled, "That's right! It was your detailed drawings and visions, and occasional memory, which got it absolutely perfect!"

Six shivered again and they stepped out onto the balcony over the dead lands. "I did all of this, _this,_ with my staff alone… What do you see?" The Artist murmured, "Not…. Really anything. Just emptiness… Oh no." Fear filled him while delight filled Wonderland Six. "You almost got it!" He flung his arm out to gesture at the land, "If I can't leave Wonderland, then I'm just going to make Wonderland into the Emptiness! Like a mirror reflection. We'll be on the same playing ground, the insanity will have to dissipate or people will hurt themselves out here, and it'll be closer to freedom than I've ever been!"

Six stared out across the land, a dull echo of thunder passing overhead, and murmured out, "B-But… Wait- Why don't I just- I can open the door and we could go into the Emptiness! You don't have to do this!" He was almost begging and the other waved him off, heading inside again, "Don't waste your time on it. The only Wonderland being that can leave for any amount of time is the White Rabbit, and that's just on certain lunar days or some sort of voodoo thing; it's not my problem. This is a permanent solution." There was ride in his voice as he crossed over towards the crown. "What do you think?"

"What I think?" Six sputtered, "I think it's- I think _this_ is insane!" The other quipped in with, "Thank you." Six sputtered, "No, no! It's not a- You can't do this!" He was panting, "I thought it was bad enough when you were trying to steal a kingdom- which was bad- but this is so much worse!" Frantic thoughts were racing through Six's mind as he took it in and Wonderland Six shrugged, "I'm not planning on changing my mind. I have the staff already; I was just waiting for you to get here so that we could share this together! Nobody else would've gotten how well this whole thing clicks into place."

"I'll stop you." Six blurted out before he thought. Then he followed by staring at Wonderland Six who slowly straightened, ignoring the crown that he was bending over to grab. He slowly turned around with a confident smirk. Yet with that smirk came the same challenge that was in Six's own eyes. "I would love to see you try."

* * *

 **Mable: Two people got awfully close to predicting who the Stitchpunk behind it was. XD I couldn't confirm it though because I didn't want to spoil; there are other hints that Six failed to mention, but I'll probably list them in the final chapter. For now, the next chapter will be posted soon. I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	15. All for One, One for All

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Fifteen: All for One, One for All_

Before Wonderland Six could even react Six had sprung on him.

Six began desperately trying to yank the staff out of his hands, desperately trying to tug it away to safety, but his counterpart wasn't ready to give in. In a sudden motion the male swept out his foot and was able to knock the Artist off balance. As he began to fall he clung to the staff, now on the ground on his backside but still holding it. Unfortunately Six wasn't the only one with awkward balance and he used this to his advantage by twisting the staff and giving one of his mental 'shoves' to push the other version of himself to his side.

Wonderland Six hit the floor on his side and struggled to keep a grip on the staff. However, Six was able to wrench it from his grasp and pulled it to his chest. He quickly rolled over and to his feet, taking off towards the doorway. "No!" Wonderland Six cried in almost a command before focusing. Before Six could get to the hall the large iron doors, which had been generously open before, swung closed with a resounding bang. He stumbled to a halt before he was suddenly hit with his counterpart's weight who leapt on him.

"See?! I can do it too! I just _do it better!_ " Wonderland Six cried out, releasing the doors but not realizing that they were opening again. Instead the two were in another tug of war as Wonderland Six backed onto the steps, hoping to get higher ground. Unfortunately for him Six was watching him and caught on, so he tackled him around the waist against the throne, his own head painfully striking the armrest. He ignored it and took ahold of the staff, pressing a foot down on the other's shoulder and tugging back slowly. "I'm not going to let you do this!" He insisted.

"You don't have a say in the matter anymore, brother." Wonderland Six bitterly spat, "We're not on equal ground anymore, so now you're no better than one of them!" His hands lost hold of the staff and for a moment Six thought that he was in the clear. Then he teeter backwards and fell back down the couple of steps. Now on his back, and vulnerable, Wonderland Six pounced upon him and grabbed tightly onto the staff. He forced it down until it was positioned on the metal of his counterpart's neck.

It didn't choke him, but held him at a very vulnerable position, and Six could only stare upwards with a pleading look before his mismatched optics moved higher. Wonderland Six only caught it in a split second before something flat, metal, and quite heavy smacked into him. He rolled across the floor at the impact with the staff still in his grasp. By time he pulled himself upwards off of the marble floor he could see none other than Eight standing over Six. "What?! How- How did you-?!" The desperate male looked to the doorway to see the others coming in.

Fear sketched on his face and he suddenly slammed his staff downwards onto the floor. Promptly afterwards a thicket of the paper vines climbed out from the cracks in the marble and began to block the doorway. Six looked back towards the guard who assisted him, pulling himself to his feet. "Eight, you came! How did you-? How?!" Eight was a bit amused by the question, "You were either here or in the desert and I wasn't walking through that train wreck again." He joked and the striped male smiled back, "I'm just glad you're here."

"Me too!" The second Wonderland Six's confident tone returned Six had a foreboding feeling in his core. "After all, you're back just in time to see what I've got planned. Really, I wouldn't have given you that much credit, but if he trusts you that much after a few hours of civil behavior then, hey, I guess I should too." Wonderland Six smiled a bit wider and grasped the staff tighter. "You're just in time to see what I'm going to do." He raised the staff again, threateningly, and Six desperately pleaded, "No, wait! You don't- You don't need to do this! _Please!"_

"So, Eight, quick question." Wonderland Six ignored Six entirely, "Since you're the one who dubbed him as being insane so much I'll take your opinion. Do you really think he's the real one?" Six stared and Eight furrowed his brows, "What?" The wild card continued, "I'm serious, you know. If I've got a grasp on reality and he doesn't, wouldn't he be the one who's supposed to exist in Wonderland? And, if that's the case, wouldn't that mean we were eventually switched?" He grew sober, "I considered that. I considered that maybe we were forcibly switched."

"I don't know what you're trying to say." Eight insisted, "But this is the same Six I've known for years. I'm pretty damn sure of that." Wonderland Six seemed to be growing slightly frustrated, "Of course it is, but why is he so much more different than the rest of you? You noticed the behavior. You can't say you didn't notice he was different!" His voice was raising, "And if _I_ would've been there and _he_ would've been here then _we_ wouldn't be _here_!" He clutched the staff tighter, "And because I got cheated so does everyone else!"

He slammed down the staff and it began to make a crackling noise, black oil-like ooze starting to drip down it. Six had a hunch and looked out the nearby window only to see what was occurring. The line where the Emptiness had stopped was beginning to spread further towards the trees, eventually brushing them and causing them to instantly die. "No! It's happening!" Eight went to rush forward when Wonderland Six blocked him with a telekinetic focus, stopping him silently.

Wonderland Eight attempted to saw through the thick paper. "This stuff just isn't wanting to cut!" He growled to the others and the King of Hearts quipped in, "If the cat can't move us further-." He looked back to see the Cheshire Cat no longer even present, "then we will need to burn it!" Two reached into his bag and started to pull out matches when the March Hare noticed something. "I think I can squeeze through this opening under here." He pointed to a crevice of broken marble where the vines didn't fully cover. "I can get inside."

Child caught his arm quickly, "Wait, the second you go through there he'll see you and attack. There could be a baited trap just on the other side of this…" He looked to the hole only to see part of Nine as he squeezed through underneath, "…I should've known." On the other side Nine could see what was occurring and moved to sidle the wall, creeping behind Wonderland Six. Noticing him, Six tried to further distract his counterpart. "I-I know why you'd be angry and I don't know why we're switched, or different…"

Wonderland Six glanced to him before looking back to Eight who was now standing there, waiting to get a way through. "But we can fix this! This isn't the answer- This doesn't have to be the answer! We can figure something out!" Almost immediately the other called back, "Why don't you tell them about your key?" He blurted out and for a second unusual dread filled through Six. "Tell them about how your key opens doors in Wonderland that mine doesn't! Tell them how mine doesn't fit into locks and yours fits perfectly into every one!"

"What…?" Eight looked slightly alarmed at this and now looked to Six. Fear passed along his mismatched optics, "It's- It's true, and I don't know why it does it, but I- You know, Eight, you know I come from home. Right?" The Guard's brief hesitance almost caused Six to waver, "Eight, please." Suddenly the larger male snapped to attention, "It's just another backwards thing down here. It's got nothing to do with anything else." He defended and relief passed through Six once more. Before his counterpart could reply he was pounced on.

Nine leapt out from behind and landed upon Wonderland Six. They still stood, but there was a brief wrestling act between them. Eight rushed forwards as well and Wonderland Six became frantic. He managed to pry Nine off and shoved him towards Eight. Nine fell against Eight's front and immediately took after him. Though before he could get to the villain, Six practically flew by and jumped onto him, actually taking him to the floor and grabbing the staff. "Turn it off!" He commanded, "Make it stop! You're going to destroy everything!"

Wonderland Six swung the staff around desperately in an attempt to get Six off of him, allowing Nine to grab the end. Wonderland Six gave out a cry of frustration and desperation as he suddenly took control of the staff again. Before Nine could even react he was hit with a sudden shock. "Ah!" Sudden paralysis set in and he fell back onto the marble. For a second Wonderland Six almost managed to get away from Six, rolling over and climbing out from underneath him. In the second the staff was rested on the ground Eight raised his knife and brought it down.

The talisman on the end, locked together with the pieces from the kingdoms, broke apart into four fractures slices once more. "No!" Wonderland Six cried in horror, scrambling over to them, Six holding onto the back of his clothing which tore through his pen tipped fingers and left large slices in the fabric. Eight grabbed the piece that was engraved with a heart and yanked it upwards out of the striped male's grasp. Wonderland Six responded with a growl and shoved the empty staff against his chest.

"Give that to me! I swear, Eight, you keep me from this and I'll do much worse than ruin the Kingdom of broken hearts!" He mocked, but Eight held him back, and Six was about to come forward, when he hesitated. Eight wrestled with Wonderland Six briefly until the striped male started to claw at him. In fact, as Nine started to get off the ground shakily and as the others managed to cut further through, Eight expected a fight about to break out. Instead, Six's voice suddenly broke in. "You… You don't have a number…"

Wonderland Six abruptly turned back to look at him, horror on his face again. Eight caught on and grabbed Wonderland Six abruptly, dropping the staff piece and opening the tears on his back. He only got a glimpse for a second before the male elbowed him in the front and squirmed out of his gasp. "That doesn't mean anything!" He protested, but Eight suddenly rubbed his face, looking relieved. "There's no number…." He looked to Six almost apologetically.

That was it, the brief doubts were sated, and Wonderland Six became frantic, "That doesn't mean I'm not- That he's not-!" He clutched the staff tighter to him, crazed desperation in his eyes as he tried to activate it to no avail, "No, no, no. This isn't over. This isn't ending like this!" Suddenly a new voice joined in. "Six…" Wonderland Six glanced over to the now open entrance and visibly winced at seeing everyone there, especially the speaker. "Eight…" The Heart Bodyguard had a look of disturbance and almost sympathy in his optics.

The lack of anger seemed to shake the smaller male. "Six, what were you thinking doing this?" The answer was the shake of his head followed by, "This isn't what's supposed to happen. I just- Don't look at me like that! I've always… Always been different, you've always saw me as a freak!" Now the March Hare spoke in, "Six, we've never saw you as a freak! We never saw you as different at all! Maybe a different Six, but that was a good thing!" There was instant doubt and defensiveness in the wild card's optics.

"No, that's not- That's not true! That's just a complete _lie!_ I know you all looked at me, trying to figure out why I didn't act like you all did!" He hesitated and continued, his voice breaking, "All I wanted to do was make the world better." Now Nine spoke, finally standing after being helped and checked by the White Rabbit. "Which means making the world better for _you!_ You were going to turn Wonderland into a wasteland!" Wonderland Six argued, "You get to live in the Emptiness! You know how much more stable it is!"

"Six…" Wonderland Eight spoke again and the wild card looked away, "Don't… I-I know what you're going to say." A few seconds of silence passed before he suddenly slumped to his knees. "I just wanted to make it better… I just wanted to make it like out there so that I wouldn't be so trapped." He pulled his knees to his chest, letting the powerless staff drop uselessly beside him. "I just didn't want to be the odd one out anymore!" Soft, achy sobs began to fill the echoing room and the others watched uncertain.

Finally it was Six who dared to step forward. Regardless of what he did Six understood, he knew what it was like to want to be normal and failing at it. He dropped beside him and took his counterpart into a hug. "I'm sorry." He sincerely murmured into his optics. "I shouldn't have come if you couldn't go. One of us shouldn't have more than the other." Eight looked to him, "Six…" His face was unreadable, but he was in partial awe at how the Artist was so willing to simply forgive what the other had done.

It shocked him even more when his own counterpart crouched beside Six's. He took the smaller male into his arms, "I always told you I was going to protect you. That you were different in a good way. I still mean it; you should've told me. I could've made it better." Wonderland Six clung to his front and the others started to move in. The White Rabbit affectionately laid his hands on the males' shoulders, the March Hare and Jabberwock crouched beside him, the White Queen lowered her weapon and stood by sorrowfully, and the King of Hearts stayed silent.

"It stopped outside." Six murmured to both Eight and Nine. "It's over." There was relief through both, but in a way everything didn't feel resolved, and the King of Hearts turned towards them. "Thank you for your assistance. Without doubt this… Couldn't have been stopped without you three." He began to collect the kingdom pieces, "We will return these to their rightful owners to see that they aren't used again… Then we will celebrate at my castle with food, drink, and music."

Eight and Nine were baffled at his sudden addition so fluidly, but Six smiled without a beat. "That sounds good…" He slowly looked to Eight and Nine now, pausing before asking. "Did you think that maybe… That I was the wrong one?" Nine spoke without a beat, "Of course not! Six, I know you belong at home with us, I always knew that you were my family." He smiled and the striped male smiled back, "I'm glad… For a moment I thought he was right." Six honestly admitted, petting his key, and now Eight spoke, "Don't worry about that anymore. It's over."

Yet it stayed on Six's mind through the trip back. One used the staff a final time to teleport them back to the Hearts Kingdom, then promptly took it apart again. Seven was given her piece to the White Kingdom, One kept his to the Hearts Kingdom, and the other two were given to pages and guards to be delivered. The castle was then in a flurry as they arranged for a celebration. Six retreated into his room to get ready, walking in only to come face to face with his counterpart yet again.

It took Six a few seconds of staring at Wonderland Six, who was sitting on the bed, before he realized that this was the other's bedroom. "Sorry." He quickly blurted out, "I didn't- I didn't know this was- Sorry." He started to close the door. It was quite a start; part of him had expected that the other him would be watched somewhere, hopefully not imprisoned again, but he was simply here. "It's okay." The other quietly answered, seemingly in a trance as he stared at the floor before the bed.

Six slowly opened the door once again and looked across the room, noticing something beside him on the bed. "Your key…" Wonderland Six looked to him and then looked down to the item, taking it into his hand. "Yeah… I just couldn't leave it behind." He set it in his lap and stared at it, "I guess I got a little attached." He traced the red ribbon tied around the key ring. "I guess I got… Carried away." Six wanted to agree, but stayed silent at first. Finally he forced out, "But… But you know that now. That's good."

"Maybe…" Wonderland Six caved. He didn't sound convinced and instead sounded compliant. Six wandered closer beside him and smiled a little, "W-Why don't you come down to the party with us? It might be fun." The wild card got an amused look, "I'm under room arrest." For a second Six didn't know what he meant, but then it set in. "Oh…" His counterpart flopped down back onto the bed tiredly, "I prefer it to the dungeon, but not by too much… But, hey, the king's not going to let me off that easy."

Six actually chuckled at that. "He's a lot like One, the other One." He was planning to talk more when the door suddenly opened, revealing Wonderland's Eight at the door. "I should've known that you were going to come break him out." he joked playfully. Six smiled sheepishly while Wonderland Six seemed to grow tense. "I was just… Waiting." Six excused, "For the party to begin." The Guard nodded and gestured back, "Well, they're starting to begin downstairs. You head down there, I need to talk with Six- Other Six."

The Artist hesitated, but nodded and stood when he was caught by his counterpart's hand. "Wait…" He started before grasping his key, putting it into Six's hand. "Just… See if it goes to anything out there. Okay?" Six smiled and agreed, taking his own off and handing it over. "Here. You can borrow mine until I get back." His counterpart got a small smile that wasn't evil or forewarning in any way. Six then headed out into the hall, freezing outside the door and not shutting it all the way, curiosity winning out.

The two Stitchpunks stood in the room quietly. Eight eventually cleared his voice box and now Six spoke, "Did… Did One send you here?" The Guard paused again and replied, "No. I came to talk to you on my own." He sat down on the edge of the bed, which creaked underneath him. Six suddenly seemed to grow uncomfortable as he abruptly moved from laying down to sitting once more. "You could've told me." The larger pointed out and the smaller sputtered, "I _did_ tell you. It wasn't a big secret how I felt."

"You told me you were feeling left out, not that you were planning on destroying Wonderland!" He snapped back, not aggressively but still forcefully. The smaller shivered a bit under the comment and replied. "I wasn't going to destroy it, I was going to change it. It could've been amazing, like in the other world at the top of the rabbit hole." Naturally Eight wanted to disagree but took a different approach. "All that would've happened would be that you would still feel left out there. The world would just be barren."

It made sense, but Six didn't want to admit it. He asked softly, "Do you hate me now?" Eight answered immediately, "No. I couldn't hate you." Something about the placement of words seemed to hit harder than the others had. Six pressed his lips tightly together as black fluid welled on the rim of his optics, spilling over and lightly dripping down his cheeks. "Come on, Six, don't cry." The bodyguard tried to coax and the smaller responded by pressing his optics into his own arm, staining it but visually blocking the tears.

He took the small Stitchpunk into his arms with a weary sigh. After everything that Six forced them through he wanted to be angry, but it was shaded, and he pressed his head into the smaller's soft yarn. "I'm sorry." Six admitted, "If only sorry that I did this to you I am truly sorry… You've always been good to me, Eight, and I've never returned it properly." He pressed against Eight tighter before sliding upwards, his arms around the larger male's neck, "I love you more than I love what's out there." Then their lips met.

It was at this time that the Six outside discretely shut the door and allowed his face to bloom into a blush of green. A few things made sense now, but the prospect of Eight and him, even a different Eight and him, was shockingly jarring. To think that he and Eight had only just gotten on speaking terms while this Six and Eight were- But that didn't matter. He regained his compositor and continued along towards the party. As he headed downstairs he could still hear the voices, hear the rushing of servants, and could hear the beginnings of celebration starting.

The others were already downstairs and the Artist almost immediately approached an empty table which Five was standing beside. "Five, you're better!" He chirped in delight and the Mad Hatter chuckled, "Yeah. I'm a little surprised myself, but the Snark-." He was cut off as Six suddenly hugged onto him affectionately. Five eagerly hugged back and Nine wandered over with a smile, "We were worried about you." He encouraged, patting his back, and Five chuckled more.

"I could say the same! Nine brought me up to speed. Err, March Hare. How is… Six?" He offered and Nine hesitated. Six didn't, "I think… I think it's going to be better now. I think I understand why he did it and I don't think he will again… I don't think Eight will let him." Five cracked a slightly sheepish smile, "Oh, that's where he is? I noticed he left a while ago." He was rewarded with a nod and pulled out a chair. "Well, I'm just glad everything's back to normal! I was getting a little worried back there, but it's good to be right as rain again. Or as Two would say, I feel smashing!"

He sat down at the table to punctuate it and looked down to see an old cup sitting in front of him. It was half filled with old liquid and looked abandoned. Before Nine and Six could sit, Five suddenly blanched, "No! No, wait!" He stood abruptly, "We need- Clean cup! Here, move down!" He instructed in nearly a frantic nature. Nine jumped to his feet and slid over into the next chair, watching as Five plopped down beside him. "Uh… Better?" Five gave an embarrassed smile, "Much better. Should I make us some tea?"

"I'm afraid there's no time for that." The sound of his own voice from behind caused Nine to jump in surprise. He glanced back over his shoulder to see the March Hare. "Why? Something going on?" He asked, leaning his arm on the back of the chair, and the March Hare beamed. "Sort of. I wanted to thank you for taking my place while I was gone, so I want you to come meet a few people." The zippered male raised his stitched brows and stood, following him nearby while Five and Six watched from the table.

Nine was soon taken aback as soon as he noticed Eight standing nearby with a group of Stitchpunks standing around him. It would have looked slightly normal if all of the Stitchpunks hadn't looked so similar to him and the March Hare. "Guys! Over here!" Wonderland Nine called with a smile and the first one rushed over, cloaked in a green hood with a warm smile. "This is my twin brother, None." He introduced and None smiled, "It's great to meet you!... And this is a little weird, honestly." He pointed out in amusement and Nine smiled back, "So you're the twin I heard about!"

"Yeah, that's me." None chirped happily and put an arm on the March Hare's shoulder, "Thanks for helping to save my brother here. He gets in over his ears." The March Hare playfully rolled his optics, "Alright, alright, enough of you!" He nudged him aside and beckoned again; another Stitchpunk that looked just like him appeared. This one was dressed in a blue suit and his ears were exposed. "This is my brother, Nane. He writes science fiction books." Nane smiled and Nine replied with, "Nice to meet you."

"You too. Here, I want to give you this for the help." He handed over a hardcover book, "This is my newest. It's about two people from different worlds who, in a twist, are from the same world!" He paused before adding in, "Don't worry, that's not a big spoiler or anything." Nine chuckled, "Thanks! I'll be sure to read it." He planned to gesture back to the table when yet another Stitchpunk appeared. "This is my brother, Nune. He's a dancer." The Stitchpunk was clothed in black and white and shared Nine's sheepish smile.

"He's giving me more credit. I only just started dancing recently. I used to be a singer, but it wasn't working out." He did a brief tapping move and Nine watched in interest, though was a little taken aback when yet another clone of himself arrived. "And this is my brother, Nene. He's the Easter Bunny." Nene playfully laughed, "For only, what, a week out of the year? Most of the time I'm just hanging out in shopping malls trying to find something to do!" Finally it seemed that no more were coming and he offered.

"It's nice to meet all of you! Very nice to know that I- That the other me has such a big family to love." They all smiled and the March Hare quipped in, "It is. I'm glad to have all of them… Oh! And my sister, Nyne. She sometimes wanders off." None pointed off towards another table, "She's over there. Hey, Nyne!" The female started to cross over, clad in purple, and Nine didn't know whether to be surprised or unsurprised that she too looked just like him, except a little shorter. "Now we're all here!" Nine quipped, "…Except for our cousins Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen-."

Back at the table Six was watching in awe. "So many Nines. I wouldn't be able keep up," Six pointed out. Five promptly admitted in amusement as well, "Nine's my best friend and I still have trouble with it." The chair beside him was pulled out and the Jabberwock sat beside him. "Creator," Child murmured lowly, "so many of them. I couldn't even imagine trying to coerce with all of them at once." He suddenly seemed to go into a daze, "All six of them…" Seeing that he was getting weird looks from Five and Six he lifted the cup before him.

"But, that goes without saying." He took a swig of the liquid only for his face to twist in disgust. He coughed and flinched, looking towards Five. "What's in this?" He glanced to the cup and Five shrugged awkwardly, "I don't know. It was there when I sat down." Child sputtered and shoved it aside in disgust, Six suppressed any sort of noise to give away his amusement and looked back to see Eight approaching. He had to fight back a blush after what he had seen their counterparts doing upstairs.

"I escaped the crowd of Nines." He murmured, leaning against one of the chairs but not daring to sit down. "And I thought one of them was bad enough." He was joking, or course, and followed with a playful smile. Six returned it, "Imagine, back at home, there's us and then five or six Nine's." The suggestion seemed to also be amusing to Eight. "I think I'd pass on that. I'd just have to feel bad for One." He glanced over before adding in, "Speaking of which, here he comes." He straightened as the King of Hearts approached.

Six looked back only to feel delight immediately fill him. He recognized the small, pink Stitchpunk in One's grasp. The princess was clothed in a burgundy dress, a merlot hint that made her soft, pink fabric look even more accentuated. "Good evening to you both." One began, "The celebration has yet to truly begin, so now would be the best time if you wanted to see my princess. She, Twelve, she becomes fussy around much more noise than this." Six stood and approached, "I've seen her before, Two showed me. Hi there, Baby."

He cooed and reached forward carefully, petting over her soft head and ears. One watched in contentment, "Once again you have assisted us, greatly, and I wanted you to see what came of that. If you wouldn't have stopped the nightmares before the Twelve would have never been born. If you wouldn't have stopped the corruption then Twelve would've been in immediate danger." Twelve turned into Six's hand with a soft squeak and left a few soft kisses on his palm.

"That's cute." Eight pointed out and Six found himself giggling; both from the light kisses and the fact that Eight had called something 'cute'. One smiled warmly at his Stitchpup, "She certainly is. She's already won the favor of all, including her older brother." Eight glanced around, "You've got another kid? Where's he?" With a sigh the king gestured over to the Knave standing beside Two, looking less than happy. "Over there being difficult about his required attire."

Eight could see the scowl on the Stitchpup's face; it was definitely One's child, no doubt about that. Six pulled back his hand as One adjusted Twelve in his grasp and Nine made his way over. "Well… That was a little strange." He admitted and Eight took no time to quip, "Which Nine are you again?" The zippered male rolled his eyes like the March Hare had before turning to the Stitchpup. "And who's this little girl?" He voiced to the baby in delight, "Such a sweet, little pup, aren't you?" Twelve seemed to shyly turn towards One, but Nine could see a tiny smile on her face.

More Stitchpunks of all kinds entered the ballroom and Five stood to attention. "I guess I'm going to go over and greet some of the guests since Two's busy… I might need something stronger to steady my nerves." He admitted and gulped down a mouthful of Earl Grey from his cup. "Six, uh, want to join me? You're the guest of honor and all." For a second a sheepish hesitance passed and Six's mind wandered back to his counterpart. "Maybe I shouldn't…" He resisted, not wanting to intrude. Eight vocally stepped into the conversation.

"Might not get another chance like this." He argued, "What's the chance that Wonderland's not going to be extremely guarded after this point?" Six contemplated this and Five answered for him, "Guarding or not, we've had bad luck with unnatural things happening." For a few moments Six contemplated this before facing the Mad Hatter. "Alright," He greeted with a smile, "I'll… I'll come with you." Five started to lead him towards the front doors that led inside the ballroom. He was a little anxious, but after everything didn't back down.

He was going to celebrate and have a good night. Just in case it was his last night here.

* * *

 **Mable: It feels like the final battle wasn't as exciting as the one with One's nightmares, but I sort of didn't want it to be. I kind of like going this way; I didn't want to put Six's counterpart past the point of no return. I do plan to have another chapter which will probably be the final chapter for now. It's been a long adventure. ^-^**

 **Note to anyone interested; you might remember, or might not, that I did a fic known as 'Without A Sound' staring the Stitchpunk Cultivator known as Moss. Unfortunately, the story ended quicker than intended with a sequel planned. After much thought I decided to not do the sequel and instead continue 'Without A Sound'. It shall be set to incomplete and will start receiving update some time in the future. It just seems like the best option, as 'Without A Sound' seemed to end mid-way through. I'll just consider it act one to a two act series.**

 **Also, Nine's siblings may be a bit familiar if you squint. *Wink***

 **Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed! The next chapter will be finished soon!**


	16. Back Home Again

**Mable: And here we are, the last chapter! I finished it yesterday but had to do some adjustments before posting. It's… It's been a wild ride here, and I loved every moment of it! ^-^ I hope everyone had just as much fun reading it that I had writing and I would like to thank everyone who took the time to review. Without further ado, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **The Inmates Run the Asylum**_

 _Chapter Sixteen: Back Home Again_

It was a bigger celebration than Six had expected. Especially considering the last one, which was more of a small dinner than this. Dancing took place; the quadrille, the foxtrot, many types of dancing that the Artist watched in awe. There was laughing and joyous noise through the large ballroom. To be short; it was everything that would be wanted from a celebration. Nine spent much of the evening being social and allowing Two to guide him around and teach him. Two introduced him to some of the other guests, including the actual King of Diamonds.

Eight spent most of his time around One or eyeing the ballroom. He wasn't too active in the activities, but he was having a good time in his own way. It was just enough to be there, talk to a few half-animal half-Stitchpunks, and enjoy the music. Even though part of the way through he received the sudden and unexpected company of a Stitchpunk female who looked too much like the Seamstress for his comfort. The Duchess practically locked onto Eight's arm with batting optics and a wide, red stitched smile, "Why, hello there! Don't you look lonely tonight?"

Six was mid-way through the quadrille when he saw it, and nearly cracked a laugh. Thankfully he was able to recover before he fell out of rhythm with the other dancers. Though right afterwards he almost fell out of rhythm yet again from a slight lightheaded feeling. At first he almost waved it off as nothing, but then it occurred to him that he felt this feeling before. Six started to slow down and felt a forewarning feeling growing. It was just a hunch, but he had a feeling that his time was beginning to run out.

He quietly finished the dance before pulling away and approaching Eight. "Eight, I think we need to leave soon." The Duchess, who was still stuck on Eight, looked surprised towards the Artist. "Leaving so soon? Oh no, dear, reconsider! The party has only just began!" The Duchess was nearly begging and Six smiled apologetically, "It's really important…" She didn't look like she was planning on moving and Six added in, "And the, uh, the soup needs pepper."

Her optics widen and face firmed before she released Eight and suddenly disappeared off, aiming for the kitchen with determination. "That'll only buy us a few minutes." Eight winced in alarm, "Where are we going and can we go farther?" Six gave an amused smile before quietly adding in, "I think that we're about to leave Wonderland." He turned and started to look for Nine, seeing him through the crowd. "Just like that?" Eight asked in surprise, "You just know that we're going to leave?"

The Artist hesitated before shrugging a little. Honestly he didn't know whether this was a certainty, just a feeling, or him simply overreacting. Regardless they needed to be ready and that meant they had to say their goodbyes before vanishing. He approached Nine and Two with Eight in tow. "Nine? Two?" Both looked to him and Two greeted, "Danced yourself to fatigue, did you?" He teased with a chuckle and Six smiled. "Sort of… We, umm, well…"

He looked to Eight who closed his optics and announced for him, "We're not going to be here much longer. Six feels like we're going to be heading home." Nine looked surprised and Two looked saddened. Six struggled to explain, "I-I'm afraid that we'll just disappear like I did before." The White Rabbit gave him a tender hug, "Then I appreciate the warning. At least we know this time that you will get home safe." He pulled back with a warm smile as One approached with Twelve in his arms and Twenty-One by his side. "What's going on?"

Two looked to him sadly, "I'm afraid our time is running out." The others started to appear as well. Five and Velvet, Nine and Child, Seven and the Tweedles, Cat, even the Caterpillar was there. All of their companions and friends, except for the Guard of Hearts and Wonderland Six. They all were drawn over by the scene and unlike before Six was able to give a proper goodbye. "I don't know why, but I think we'll be taken home soon… So I wanted to say goodbye now."

Everyone looked a bit saddened, but now the Mad Hatter offered, "But… You'll be back, right? To visit?" Six nodded quickly, "Of course! I… I don't know how I'll get back, but I will!" He lifted the key on his neck, "I'm just borrowing this. Other me has my real key… We want to see if this will go to something back there." Five smiled at this and came forward to give Six a hug. They stayed like that for a few moments and the March Hare came forward to take his turn and hug as well. "Thanks for saving Seven and I. You too, Eight."

Eight nodded and the White Queen added in, "Come by the White Kingdom whenever you visit. You will never be turned away, I promise you that." The Guard nodded and reached out to take her hand, "Thanks, Seven… Err, your highness… No, I'm sticking with Seven." The female chuckled at this and shook her head, "Same old Eight." One now gave a nod, "Are kingdoms are in debt to you three… Yes, I can safely say that treating you hospitably would be the least we can do."

Six pulled back and looked to Nine and Eight, "Why don't we step outside for a minute?... Just in case." They both nodded slowly. Six and Eight started off while Nine stayed behind briefly. "Umm… Thanks for everything. This thing, the entire adventure, I don't feel like a hero; I just feel like I witnessed something amazing. I can't thank you enough for that." He beamed at the group. "Nine, just… I know we're the same Stitchpunk, but it feels like we have two entirely different lives… And it's making me think more about what I'm going to do with mine."

"Whatever you do, Nine, you'll make the decision that will make you happiest, and in the end that is the best." Child spoke with a small smile. "You're not as different from him as you think; I have no doubt you will find what you're looking for." Nine looked at him for a few seconds before smiling a little, "Thanks, Child. Hearing that from you… Is unexpected." The March Hare chuckled, "It's seldom that he's not on a hip kick." He then smiled more sincerely, "You're always welcome in my home… Sort of literally in a way."

Nine chuckled as well and with a call from Eight he hurried off after the other two. Soon the three were standing outside on the front steps. "So what happens?" Eight asked and Six sort of shrugged, "It just happens." He sat down on the steps and Nine looked back, "Maybe we could get some more time at the party…" The guard exhaled slowly, "We'll be able to come back, but One's probably freaking out as it is. We don't want him popping down here before he can go there.

Six looked back and nodded in agreement before looking ahead. He sighed and leaned back on Nine who was laying before him. _"…What?"_ Six blinked and was suddenly in the Emptiness, leaning against Nine on the ground, staring upwards at the sky high above. It looked to be evening here as well and he sat upwards. "…Eight?" A few moments passed before Eight sat upwards nearby, shivering along his spine, "Ugh. That was weird." He began to rub his arms and looked to Six, "Yeah?"

The striped male looked to him and paused for a few seconds. It occurred to him that Eight remembered as well, considering his statement, and Six continued, "I… I want to get proof that I'm the right Six." Nine started to groan and sit upwards while Eight stood slowly, "Six, we already went over this. The other Six didn't have a number." Six looked down at the key hanging around his neck. It was virtually the same as his key; the niches in the key was exactly the same. The only difference was the ribbon on the ring.

"I know… But I feel like I have to go look… Just in case there's something there. Something to assure why I'm so different." Eight looked actually distressed and Six stood firmly. "I'm okay with being different, Eight. I'm okay with that. I just want to know why. I want to know why so that I can tell the other Six and so that he'll know why." After a few seconds Eight nodded in agreement. "Alright. We'll go to the First Room. Then we're heading home. I'm only doing this because I know One's not letting us out of his sight after we get home."

Six smiled at the comment and felt a flicker of warmth as Eight smiled back. Nine stood as well, "Yeah… I think I'm going to go check out the Machine." Both of the others looked to him in confusion. "Sort of the same thing. I just need to do it." Six understood and nodded with a smile, "Okay. If you get back before us, tell One we're okay." Nine nodded in agreement, "Same with you two." The three headed on their own ways. The walk to the Scientist's Workshop was rather quiet and the two males soon climbed the stairs to head into the first room.

"Haven't been here in a long time." Eight finally spoke as he looked around at the building falling apart. "Do you… Remember him?" Six paused and then nodded, "A little… Not much, but a little bit. Do you?" Eight nodded as well, "Yeah. I don't think he was too comfortable around me." The striped one sent him an amused smile. "Me too! I think he liked studying me, but he never told me what he studied." Eight was actually moderately curious, "Maybe we'll find something."

Entering the room they looked around quietly again. Neither remarked on the body in the room. Instead they began to search around through papers, boxes, old furniture, and after a while there was doubt between the two. "Eight, let's just go." Six murmured as he started to limply sit beside the box left for Nine. "I guess he didn't leave anything for me." Though Eight wasn't ready to give in. "There's got to be something. There's that box for Nine, we found that letter for Two, so there's got to be something for you."

Six still didn't believe it and for a few moments he just pouted there until Eight spoke. "Hey… Think that key'll fit this box?" Six perked and jumped upwards, dashing after Eight who was moving a cardboard box off of a flat, wooden box. In the front was a small keyhole and Six crouched onto his hands and knees. He pulled off the key and pushed it inside of the box. Shockingly enough it fit and his soul began to beat harder. "…It fits…" Slowly he turned it and heard a click.

Eight crouched down and began to lift the top of the box and push it open. Inside Six was surprised by what he saw. There were a few papers, but beneath them was row upon row of tubes. Six lifted one and read the label. "Oil paints…" he was surprised at the revelation and stood, stepping over the tubes and flipping the papers over. One was a sketch of a human and the other was a letter written with the Scientist's handwriting. It was recognized by both of them.

"What does it say?" Eight asked, not wanting to risk walking over the paint tubes. Six stared at the human in the picture first. He guessed that the Scientist had drawn this too before looking over at the letter. He began to read. _"Dear Six, I hope this letter eventually gets to you. I feel foolish that I sent you out without realizing what I have now. Six, you are a part of me that I thought I forgot years ago, and that's why you are so foreign to me. You are not like the others, no doubt you know this."_ For a second Six felt dread until reading more.

" _Enclosed is a picture of Francois. I remember him well enough that I was able to draw this for you. There are no other pictures of him and I am the only one old enough to remember him. We were very close when I was young. He was so imaginative; he would create games for us to play and we would spend hours together. We weren't able to go outside to play as Francois was too fragile to do so. Unfortunately he was in poor health for most of his life, and yet he kept such a colorful outlook._

 _He put that color into his paintings. Even when he became too weary to leave bed he would prop himself in bed and paint. Somewhere in the attic I still have some of his paintings. I've kept them all of these years and yet shamefully I realize now that when I created you I didn't recognize him. I didn't see my brother resting in the palm of my hands. After he passed away I never thought that I would see him again, that I could ever look at a piece of art and see anything worth what he pained, and yet there is you._

 _Six, you are a part of me that's more precious than I ever imagined. You are the memories of my brother and through you he still lives. I want you to have this paint and I want you to see a colorful world. You see the world in a way that I never could but that he always did. I love you, Six."_

Six stared ahead at the letter quietly before Eight asked. "Six?" The Artist didn't respond, but he felt the blackness lightly spilling from his optics. He gasped and touched his cheek, looking at his hand to see the ink on it. He didn't know what he was feeling and slowly stood. He looked back towards Eight and the guard started. "Six, that letter-." He froze as he saw the ink and tensed for a few seconds. Then he immediately shook it off, "Six, that letter-." Now Six interrupted him softly.

"So this is why I'm different…" He murmured softly, "I'm… I'm this. I'm everything in that letter. I am different, but I…" Eight came a little closer to put a hand on Six's shoulder, "You okay?" The striped male paused before suddenly smiling a little, "I'm more than okay." He looked upwards towards the Guard before looking back at the picture of the Scientist's brother, Francois, "He said that there wasn't any other pictures of him, but there's me, so I… I'm the last remnant, the last memory. That's what I am."

"…No, that's not." Eight suddenly voiced in a bold fashion. Six stared at him and blinked, "What?" Eight let his thoughts slip, "That's a part of you, Six, yeah, but what happened down in Wonderland, what you've always done, it's something else. This explains why you were created, but you… You're more than someone else's memory." Six was surprised that he argued with him about him and felt heat rise in his cheek. He was now so conflicted about what he was feeling.

A somber joy at his discovery, a confusing delight at Eight's reveal; he dared to ask the male more. "Then… What do you think I am?" His mismatched optics looked to the larger with a wonder and innocence. Eight laid his hands, both, on Six's shoulders and looked at him. Then he leaned down and Six's mind briefly went back to their Wonderland counterparts before the Guard kissed him. The warmth, the pleasure, the delight, it was all so wonderful in a way that Six didn't expect. It didn't seem like it was supposed to feel this good, but it did.

Eight pulled back and stared at Six for a few seconds. Six was panting as his mismatched optics slipped open once more. "I don't know," Eight admitted, "but whatever it is, it's pretty amazing." It was as though all sound drained from the room around this point. Six was smiling uncontrollably and couldn't help it. "I- Yeah… I don't think we can take this whole thing." The Artist started before jumping, "Oh! The… The paints, you mean." He was slightly embarrassed, "I'm going to take one of the reds, one of the yellows, and a blue for now." The Guard nodded and turned to get them.

The mood suddenly felt very strange to him and he hoped that getting back to work would ease the mood. The second his back was to Six the artist suddenly rushed forwards and hugged him from behind. Desperately affectionate and absolutely warm; Eight knew they couldn't go back and was fine with it. Though they stayed relatively quiet the walk back the mood was lifted. Six had brought the drawing, folding it and carrying it under one arm. The Guard carried two tubes in one arm and one under the other.

By time they reached the Library Six had slithered his hand into Eight's and held it tightly. He wanted to keep the affection alive; he felt like it was a duty to keep that warmth as much as he could. As they entered into the courtyard the twins rushed out to meet them excitedly, nearly bouncing around as their optics flickered over the two, over their good health and good moods, and then the tubes of paint. "Guys!" Five called out before Two and him hurried out to greet them as well. By time he ran to them Five was panting slightly.

"There you guys are! Nine told us about what happened!" He looked quite curious and Six offered, "He told you about Wonderland?" Five smiled at him, rubbing his neck a little, "Some about it. This, all of this, this is incredible! I… I'm sorry we didn't believe you." Eight now spoke in, "You gave him the benefit of a doubt. That's better than some of us." Five just stared at Eight, baffled as he realized that Eight was somewhat suggesting that he himself was wrong, a remarkably humble gesture.

Then Five looked to Six, "But still, to suddenly hear that it's actually real, that's amazing!" Six smiled, "We saw the other you too, the Mad hatter." Five looked excited to hear more when Two appeared, "Ah! So you two finally return to give us the details! To think that there is actually a real Wonderland! It makes me wonder if Mr. Carroll was in the know when he wrote his book." He released a chuckle and put a friendly arm around Six before guiding him in, "To think that there was a world like that conjoined to ours this entire time!"

"Nine didn't tell you everything that happened?" Six inquired and Two shook his head, "I think he was waiting for you two. Also considering that he's busy with the new Stitchpunk I'm sure he decided to wait." The Artist blinked and Eight cocked his head, "What new Stitchpunk? Why didn't bring anyone back?" Five, Two, Three, and Four all looked confused. The twins pointed inside together and Two explained, "Nine found a Stitchpunk while coming home. I suppose it was after you two went off?"

Five added in with, "By the way, where were you guys?" Six smiled at the question and squeezed the folded drawing against him. After everything that happened he knew that he was going to get an immense joy out of both reciting the Wonderland tale and revealing what he learned from the Scientist's letter. Along with the new relationship with Eight everything was just coming into place in a wonderful way. "It's a long story, but I'd like to tell it to everyone if I could." Naturally none of the five Stitchpunks argued with him.

Suddenly leaving Wonderland wasn't as bad as he expected. He was glad to be home.

 _ **FIN**_

* * *

 **Mable: Now you're probably wondering if there will be a sequel. Most likely yes, but unlike 'Sanest in the Asylum', in which I already planned that there would be a sequel, this time I'm tentatively planning on a sequel. I don't have plans at the moment for one, but I could see myself writing a third one or a short. There's the Alice in Wonderland movie coming out next year so there probably will be a boom in Alice in Wonderland based fanfiction, so I'm glad I got this one posted before then.**

 **Also I would like to mention that Six's counterpart being the villain was actually planned since the end of 'Sanest in the Asylum'. Six being based off of Julius brother was based off of a short story I wrote but never posted. Also, all baby bunnypunks are pink. Just putting that out there. Twelve's pink, Two was pink, Nine and all of his siblings were pink; tons of pink babies. XD**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed! Thank you for reading!**


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